Description
Book SynopsisOne of the principal moral and psychological problems of our time is whether humane ideals can be defended. Loss of faith in the objectivity of ethics has encouraged a sense of hopelessness. James R. Flynn rejects attempts to salvage ethical objectivity as futile and counterproductive. Instead, he uses philosophical analysis to demonstrate the relevance of logic and evidence to moral debate.
Trade Review“Flynn presents a challenging, thought-provoking and thouroughly distinctive approach to ethical theory.”—Brian Trainor,
Australian Journal of Political Science“A very good read. . . . A refreshing approach to the problem of how to defend humane ideals when you have given up the objective truth of moral statements.”—M.J. Cresswell,
New Zealand Journal“Time and again, Flynn has spurred debate and opened up entirely new fields of scholarship. This book is an ambitious attempt to integrate philosophy, psychology, and sociology to provide an evidential case for humane ideals.”—Stephen J. Ceci, editor of
The Nature Nurture Debate: The Essential Readings“Flynn shows that a humane and progressive liberalism can produce powerful arguments in the social and political realm, while abandoning what he regards as discredited and unhelpful notions of ethical proof and objectivity. There is nothing quite like this in literature—nothing that matches the power of Flynn’s meta-ethical discussion and sustained first-level arguments. The chapters on the dilemmas and difficulties in modern social policy on race and class are magnificent.”—Jeremy Waldron, author of
Social JusticeTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Problem1. Truth-Tests and What Has Been LostPart One: The Limitations of Philosophy2. Plato and Thrasymachus; 3. Truth-Tests and Proof; 4. Kant and Sister Simplice; Transition: An Agenda: 5. Morality and Moral DebatePart Two: The Potency of Social Science6. Race and Class; 7. Superpeople and Supermen; 8. Justice and Meritocracy; 9. Humanism and Postmodernism; Conclusion: Unsolved Problems; 10. The Personal and the Conventional
