Ethics and moral philosophy Books

Book SynopsisSince at least the time of Plato, religious explanations of the metaphysical foundations of morality have typically fallen into one of two camps: natural law theory, according to which morality is fundamentally explained by facts about human nature—facts that God is responsible for—and divine command theory, which holds that moral obligations arise directly from God’s commands or some other prescriptive act of the divine will. J. Caleb Clanton and Kraig Martin offer an accessible analysis of these traditional views, reconstruct the various arguments for and against them, and offer an extended consideration of the historical emergence of the divide between these positions within the Christian tradition. Nature and Command goes on to develop and defend a theory that combines these two views—a metaethical approach that has not yet received the scholarly attention it deserves.Along the way, the authors make use of underexplored theological resources drawn from the Stone-Campbell movement, a nineteenth-century restoration movement that culminated in one of the largest Protestant groups in America by the dawn of the twentieth century. Nature and Command summons the resources of this particular Christian heritage—its first principles, call for unity, and ecumenism—to solve one of the great dilemmas of moral philosophy and theology dating back to Plato’s Euthyphro. This historically aware, argumentatively rigorous, and highly readable volume will serve as a valuable resource for moral philosophy and ethics, as well as for mining the Stone-Campbell Restoration tradition for historical and theological insights.

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Book SynopsisRobert Holmes is one of the leading proponents of nonviolence in the United States, and his influence extends to the rest of the world. However, he has never presented his views on nonviolence in full-length book form. The Ethics of Nonviolence brings together his best essays on the topic, both classic works and more obscure pieces, as well as several important essays that have never been published. Holmes started his career by following Dewey and James, and then turned toward metaethics. The Vietnam War finally led him toward moral problems related to war and violence. For the last forty years he has been a great proponent of nonviolence and pacifism in the style of Tolstoy and Gandhi. If ethics is meant to be more than a purely academic exercise, the theoretical ethics of philosophy must be shown to be relevant to applied morality; the ongoing process of making moral judgments must add value to the world we live in. For Robert Holmes, no aspect of reality is more in need of ethical thinking and reform than the culture of war and violence that cannot be ignored. There are morally viable alternatives to this violence, Holmes argues, and he scrutinizes the sources and implications of such positions. Holmes shows that nonviolence and pacifism can lead us toward a more peaceful and humanely dignified world.Trade ReviewLong before Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam praised in print the insights of William James and John Dewey, Robert Holmes shed light on the philosophical importance of the classical pragmatists. Long before Larry May and Jeff McMahan debated the merits of pacifism, just war theory, and war realism, Robert Holmes made the case for contingent pacifism. Holmes’s distinctions among and insights concerning the various forms of pragmatism, pacifism, and nonviolence help debunk the easy dismissal of these views. The collected papers of Robert Holmes shed light on why those who summarily reject all forms of pragmatism, pacifism, or nonviolence do so because they continue to misrepresent these important but too often trivialized philosophical views. -- Rick Werner, John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy Hamilton College Clinton, NY, USAThis welcome collection of essays by Robert L. Holmes reminds us why he is the leading theorist of nonviolence at work today. His careful and thorough treatment of issues together with his clear writing and deep insight all further the inevitable nonviolent revolution required for our violent world to be transformed so as to allow a sustainable human future. Such important work deserves very wide circulation, readership, and consideration. -- Duane L. Cady, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Hamline University, USA, and author of From Warism to Pacifism: A Moral ContinuumThe Ethics Of Nonviolence is by far the best book on the subject. Dr. Holmes has understood the nuances of the Gandhian Philosophy as few others have. His understanding of the philosophy and his ability to impart it to students is so unique that I often wish I was a young student again under his tutelage. Dr. Cicovacki must be commended for this outstanding collection of lectures. -- Arun Gandhi, President, Gandhi Worldwide Education Institute, Illinois, USAHolmes has written another cogent book on nonviolence that is also accessible to nonspecialists. His treatment of Dewey is excellent, as well as his reasoning about pragmatic and principled nonviolence. For readers familiar with his work, the appendix with Cicovacki’s interview of him will be much appreciated. -- William C. Gay, Professor of Philosophy, UNC Charlotte, USAThe Ethics of Nonviolence presents the clear and penetrating thinking of one of the foremost theorists of nonviolence in the world today. The readings not only offer insight into the development of Robert L. Holmes’s thought, but more importantly, they reveal the theoretical and practical heart of his ethic of nonviolence, woven from such disparate threads as the ethics of Dewey, Mill, and Kant, critiques of Robert Nozick’s libertarianism and St. Augustine’s defense of just war, and also Holmes’s own views on such contemporary yet eternal topics as evil, terrorism, and the philosophy of teaching. The final chapters treat readers to both his wisdom and his sense of humor. -- Barry L. Gan, Professor of Philosophy, St. Bonaventure University, USATable of ContentsIntroduction 1. John Dewey’s Moral Philosophy in Contemporary Perspective 2. Consequentialism and its Consequences 3. The Limited Relevance of Analytical Ethics to the Problems of Bioethics 4. The Concept of Corporate Responsibility 5. University Neutrality and ROTC 6. The Philosophy of Political Realism in International Affairs 7. The Challenge of Nonviolence in the New World Order 8. St. Augustine and the Just War Theory 9. War, Power, and Nonviolence 10. Violence and Nonviolence 11. The Morality of Nonviolence 12. Terrorism, Violence, and Nonviolence 13. Understanding Evil from the Perspective of Nonviolence 14. Jallianwala Bagh and the Boston Tea Party: Nonviolent Roots of the Indian and American Anti-Imperialism 15. Toward a Nonviolent American Revolution 16. My (Non-)Teaching Philosophy Appendix 1: An Interview with Robert Holmes Appendix 2: Bibliography of Robert Holmes’ Publications

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Book SynopsisA number of factors—new research into human and animal consciousness, a heightened awareness of the methods and consequences of intensive farming, and modern concerns about animal welfare and ecology—have made our relationship to animals an area of burning interest in contemporary philosophy. Utilizing methods inspired by Ludwig Wittgenstein, the contributors to this volume explore this area in a variety of ways. Topics discussed include: * scientific vs. non-scientific ways of describing human and animal behaviour * the ethics of eating particular animal species * human nature, emotions, and instinctive reactions * responses of wonder towards the natural world * the moral relevance of literature * the concept of dignity * the question of whether non-human animals can use language This book will be of great value to anyone interested in philosophical and interdisciplinary issues concerning language, ethics and humanity's relation to animals and the natural world.Trade ReviewIn sum the anthology is highly recommendable and achieves the aim to offer new ways of thinking about moral conceptual aspects of human-animal relationships, philosophical methodology and advancement of Wittgensteinian topics. -- Yuliya Fadeeva * Ethical Theory and Moral Practice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction Niklas Forsberg 1. Humanizing Nonhumans: Ape Language Research as Critique of Metaphysics Pär Segerdahl 2. Ethics and Language: What We Owe to Speakers David Cockburn 3. The Difficulty of Language: Wittgenstein on Animals and Humans Nancy E. Baker 4. Rape among the Panorpidae, Spouse Abuse among the Mantis Religiosa, and Other 'Reproductive Strategies' in the Animal and Human World Olli Lagerspetz 5. Three Perspectives on Altruism Ylva Gustafsson 6. Talking about Emotion Camilla Kronqvist 7. Man as a Moral Animal: Moral Language-Games, Certainty, and the Emotions Julia Hermann 8. Living with Animals, Living as an Animal Anne Le Goff 9. What's Wrong with a Bite of Dog? Rami Gudovitch 10. Second Nature and Animal Life Stefano Di Brisco 11. Wittgenstein, Wonder and Attention to Animals Mikel Burley 12. Honour, Dignity and the Realm of Meaning Nora Hämäläinen 13. W. G. Sebald and the Ethics of Narrative Alice Crary Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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