Description
Book SynopsisPeople differ in terms of how morally deserving they are. And it is a good thing if people get what they deserve. Accordingly, it is important to work out an adequate theory of moral desert. But while certain aspects of such a theory have been frequently discussed in the philosophical literature, many others have been surprisingly neglected. For example, if it is indeed true that it is morally good for people to get what they deserve, does it always do the same amount of good when someone gets what they deserve? Or does it matter how deserving the person is? If we cannot give someone exactly what they deserve, is it better to give too much-or better to give too little? Does being twice as virtuous make you twice as deserving? And how are we to take into account the thought that what you deserve depends in part on how others are doing? The Geometry of Desert explores a number of these less familiar questions, using graphs to illustrate the various possible answers. The result is a more
Trade ReviewThe Geometry of Desert is essential reading for those who value moral desert, but it also has a great deal to offer those who do not. * Thomas Hurka, Mind *
At over six hundred pages it is monumental in both size and achievement Kagan's survey of the possible answers to this question is a tour de force Kagan's book is so rich that I have only begun to scratch the surface. * Brad Skow, Ethics *
The Geometry of Desert is a model of analytic rigor, clarity, and thoroughness. An enormous amount of thought, care, and effort went into writing this book, which explores the possibilities for the design and use of graphs in numerous settings and with considerable originality and inventiveness. * Saul Smilansky, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
Every few years a book appears that every philosopher, at least every philosopher in a particular field, must read. This volume by Kagan is such a book. It will be the subject of many graduate seminars and dissertations in the coming years.... Essential. * H. Oberdiek, CHOICE *
Kagan's variations on [the theme of desert] are magnificent. Never has the range of possibilities available to friends of desert been outlined so systematically, carefully and profoundly. ... Kagan's remarkable book charts almost completely unfamiliar territory One of Kagan's brilliant innovations - one that strikingly illuminates the range of issues Kagan is concerned with * is the representation of desert on graphs The Geometry of Desert is a fascinating, illuminating, creative and highly original piece of philosophy. Kagan has taken the idea of desert in directions few could have imagined."Victor Tadros, Criminal Law and Philosophy *
The Geometry of Desert is a fascinating, illuminating, creative and highly original piece of philosophy. Kagan has taken the idea of desert in directions few could have imagined. * Victor Tadros, Criminal Law and Philosophy *
Table of ContentsPreface ; Acknowledgments ; A Note to the Reader ; 1. MORAL DESERT ; 1.1 A Familiar Thought ; 1.2 Some Familiar Questions ; 1.3 Skepticism ; 1.4 Intrinsic Value ; 1.5 Unfamiliar Questions ; PART I: NONCOMPARATIVE DESERT ; 2. FAULT FORFEITS FIRST ; 2.1 The Basic View ; 2.2 Pluralism ; 2.3 Extending the Account ; 2.4 Discount Rates and Multipliers ; 3. DESERT GRAPHS ; 3.1 Graphs ; 3.2 Varying Slopes ; 3.3 Rotation ; 3.4 Peaks ; 3.5 Multiple Peaks ; 3.6 Comparing Sides ; 3.7 Bell Motion ; 3.8 The Sym Mountain ; 3.9 Shift ; 4. SKYLINES ; 4.1 The Occupation of the X Axis ; 4.2 Constant Skylines ; 4.3 The V Shaped Skyline ; 4.4 Varieties of Desert ; 4.5 Taking Stock ; PART II: COMPLICATIONS AND ALTERNATIVES ; 5. OTHER SHAPES ; 5.1 Plateaus ; 5.2 Retributivism and Plateaus ; 5.3 Simple Straight Lines ; 5.4 Bent Lines ; 5.5 Curved Desert ; 5.6 Detailing Curved Desert ; 5.7 Curved Plateaus ; 6. PLACING PEAKS ; 6.1 The Mapping Function ; 6.2 Curved Mapping Functions ; 6.3 Revisiting the Sym Mountain ; 6.4 Revisiting the V Shaped Skyline ; 6.5 Further Constraints on the Skyline ; 6.6 The Logical Limits of Bell Motion ; 6.7 Disaggregation ; PART III: COMPARATIVE DESERT ; 7. THE RATIO VIEW ; 7.1 The Idea of Comparative Desert ; 7.2 Problems for the Ratio View ; 7.3 Optimism ; 7.4 The Impossibility Defense ; 7.5 Absolute Zero ; 8. SIMILAR OFFENSE ; 8.1 The Y Gap View ; 8.2 Reconsidering the Cases ; 8.3 More on the Y Gap Constraint ; 8.4 Percentages ; 8.5 A Fourth View ; 9. GRAPHING COMPARATIVE DESERT ; 9.1 Relative Advantage ; 9.2 Two Problems ; 9.3 Graphing the X Gap View ; 9.4 Motion Along the Y Axis ; 9.5 Graphing the Y Gap View ; 10. VARIATION ; 10.1 Comparative Bell Motion ; 10.2 Comparative Skylines ; 10.3 Moral Significance Again ; 10.4 Two More Possibilities ; 10.5 One Size Fits All ; 10.6 Sliding Up ; 11. GROUPS ; 11.1 Two Approaches ; 11.2 Size ; 11.3 Another Look ; 11.4 Adjusting the Graphs ; 11.5 Variable Steepness Reconsidered ; PART IV: DESERT ; 12. DESERT TAKEN AS A WHOLE ; 12.1 Partial Values ; 12.2 Open Questions ; 12.3 Rough Comparability ; 12.4 Another Series ; 12.5 Other Values ; 13. RESERVATIONS ; 13.1 Deontology ; 13.2 Methodology ; 13.3 Ideology ; Endnotes ; References ; Index
