Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons^™

Can We Share Ethical Views With Other Religions?, Robert Hannaford

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

Presented to the WMU Center for the Study of Ethics in Society, October 7, 1993.

Grounds For Political Judgment: The Status Of Personal Experience And The Autonomy And Generality Of Principles Of Restraint, Kent Greenawalt

San Diego Law Review

This Article addresses three perplexing problems about proposed principles of self-restraint for political decision and advocacy within liberal democracies. It considers the nature of convictions that are based on highly personal experiences and asks what their political status should be. It explores the subtle relationship between proposed principles of restraint and overarching religious and other comprehensive views. It argues that a plausible principle of restraint must appeal to people with various religious and other comprehensive views and must be suited to the particular conditions of a given society.

The Place Of Religious Argument In A Free And Democratic Society, Robert Audi

San Diego Law Review

This Article provides an account of the notion of a religious argument, distinguishes several roles of religious arguments in a liberal democracy, and defends a set of principles for their proper use in such a society. The author argues that it is appropriate that citizens apply a kind of separation of church and state in their public use of religious arguments, especially in advocating laws or public policies that restrict liberty. More specifically, the author contends that whatever religious arguments one may have in such cases, one should also be willing to offer, and be to a certain extent motivated …

Religious Morality And Political Choice: Further Thoughts--And Second Thoughts--On Love And Power, Michael J. Perry

San Diego Law Review

This is an Article written by the author of the book Love and Power: The Role of Religion and Morality in American Politics. In this Article, he returns to an inquiry already addressed in Love and Power. He asks the question: should Americans accept an ideal of political choice according to which a citizen ought not make a controversial political choice if the choice cannot be defended without relying on a religious belief that at least some opponents of the choice reject? The author responds with a resounding no, arguing that we should not accept such a political ideal. He …

Constructing An Ideal Of Public Reason, Lawrence B. Solum

San Diego Law Review

In deciding to what ideal citizens should aspire in political debate, some people contend that an ideal of political morality should mirror the freedom of expression. This Article undertakes the construction of an ideal of public reason. It begins with an investigation of the term "public reason." The author considers various possibilities for an ideal or normative standard of public reason. As each option is considered, some possible formulations are discarded and additional specifications are added. He concludes with the ideal that is constructed through this process of elaboration, evaluation, and elimination.

Liberalism, Religion And The Unity Of Epistemology, Larry Alexander

San Diego Law Review

This Article focuses on the relation between liberalism and religion. Professor Alexander argues that liberalism is itself just a sectarian view on the same level as the religious and other views that it purports to be neutral about and to tolerate. The Article shows that liberalism is a rejection of all illiberal religious tenets. It further contends that liberalism cannot make out its case for excluding religious arguments from shaping public policy. It concludes that to the extent liberalism is defined by or rests on the insulation of public policy from religious views, liberalism is undermined by its failure to …

Book Review, Cynthia Dash

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of: DONALD C. LEE, TOWARD A SOUND WORLD ORDER: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL HIERARCHICAL ETHICAL THEORY. (Greenwood Press 1992). [240 pp.] Bibliography, index, notes, preface. LC: 91-440942; ISBN:0-313-27903-9. [Cloth $42.95. P.O. Box 5007, Westport CT 06881.]

Why Does Utilitarianism Seem Plausible?, John Dilworth

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

Presented to the WMU Center for the Study of Ethics in Society - May 27, 1993.

[Book Review Of] What Kind Of Life. The Limits Of Medical Progress, By Daniel Callahan, Robert J. Barnet

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

[Book Review Of] Challenging Children To Chastity, By H. Vernon Sattler, Eugene F. Diamond

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

[Book Review Of] Who Lives? Who Dies? Ethical Criteria In Patient Selection, By John F. Kilner, James L. Walsh

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

The Place Of Ethics Centers In Higher Education, Douglas Ferraro

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

Presented to the WMU Center for the Study of Ethics in Society, September 28, 1995.

The Structure Of Ethics In The Early Christian Church: A Sourcebook, James Edward Shaul

Open Access Master's Theses (through 2010)

Rather than construct a moral monolith, or argue for any specific ethical position, the goal of this thesis is to lay a foundation upon which an ethical system can be built. The goal of this thesis is to construct a solid base of information that will inform and help direct discussion in Christian ethics. In finding a common base, the Christian community may not necessarily find moral consensus, but it certainly is hoped that is can find common understanding and therefore some measure of intellectual unity. This thesis attempts to examine the actual writings of the early Christian church, describing …

The State, Civil Society, And Citizenship, Richard Dagger

Political Science Faculty Publications

In large, modern societies, then, we should make the most of "partial societies" by encouraging the development of a vital civil society--a sphere of life that promotes freedom through private activity and the voluntary associations that serve as a buffer between individuals and the state. Indeed, the question is not whether civil society is a prerequisite for a good society, but what form it should take. With this in mind, I want to offer three observations about the proper form of civil society.

Towards A Boundless Ethic, Henry Spira

Commentaries and Editorials

No abstract provided.

Helping To Harm? The Ethical Dilemmas Of Managing Politically Sensitive Data, Sylvie C. Tourigny

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

Presented to the WMU Center for the Study of Ethics in Society - March 19, 1993.

[Book Review Of] Human Experimentation: A Guided Step Into The Unknown, By William A. Silverman, Robert J. Barnet

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Reasonable Children, Michael Pritchard

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

Presented to the WMU Center for the Study of Ethics in Society - May 19, 1993.

[Book Review Of] Rationing America's Medical Care: The Oregon Plan And Beyond, Strosbert, Martin, Et A1 Editors, Robert J. Barnet

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Living In A Disenchanted World, John Margiotta

Fenwick Scholar Program

This thesis draws on Allan Bloom and Martin Heidegger, among others, to articulate the communitarian vision of how Enlightenment philosophy has led the Western world into an age of philosophical and religious homelessness.

Play Fair With Punishment, Richard Dagger

Political Science Faculty Publications

If we want to provide a justification for legal punishment, then, we must answer two distinct questions: (1) What justifies punishment as a social practice? and (2) What justifies punishing particular persons? The principle of fair play is an especially attractive theory of punishment, I shall agree, because it offers plausible and compelling answers to both these questions. I shall also suggest that there is a third question - How should we punish those who commit crimes? - that fair play cannot answer without help from other sources.

[Book Review Of] An Introduction To Moral Theology, By William E. May, J. Daniel Mindling

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Current Literature, Catholic Physicians' Guild

The Linacre Quarterly

Material appearing below is thought to be of particular interest to Linacre Quarterly readers because of its moral, religious, or philosophic content. The medical literature constitutes the primary, but not the sole source of such material. In general, abstracts are intended to reflect the substance of the original article. Contributions and comments from readers are invited. (E.G. Laforet, MD., 170 Middlesex Rd. Chestnut Hill, MA 02167.)

Reply To Allison, Nelson T. Potter Jr.

Department of Philosophy: Faculty Publications

In "Kant's Doctrine of Obligatory Ends," Henry Allison offers an interpretation of this central doctrine of the Tugendlehre portion of Kant's Metaphysics of Morals that partly agrees with and partly takes issue with an earlier article of mine on the same topic. The disagreement between us might seem to be on a small point, and yet I think it will tum out that this point has considerable significance for interpreting and understanding Kant's ethical theory. I wish here to explain the issues, and defend my own earlier account.

What Is Wrong With Kant’S Four Examples, Nelson T. Potter Jr.

Department of Philosophy: Faculty Publications

Kant gives four examples to illustrate the application of the categorical imperative immediately after introducing its “universal law” formulation in Chapter Two his Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. These examples have been much discussed to gain an understanding of how the categorical imperative applies to derive specific duties. It is argued that the discussions found in these examples do not accord well with Kant’s fuller account of that application in his later work The Metaphysics of Morals. That [later] work has quite different, sometimes better, arguments for the same moral conclusions, and never mentions the argument against …

Rethinking Reverence For Life, Mike W. Martin

Philosophy Faculty Articles and Research

Albert Schweitzer’s ethics of reverence for life is more complex and interesting than first appears. It contains themes relevant to contemporary environmental ethics, including a virtue-ethics approach that emphasizes personal responsibility and tolerance, empathy for living organisms, and the fundamental unity of life. Not surprising, then, Schweitzer has recently been acknowledged for pioneering a biocentric (life-centered) ethical theory.

At the same time, Schweitzer’s ethic has four unpalatable features: pantheism, anthropomorphism, excessive subjectivity, and guilt mongering. I trace these features to the metaphysical framework in which Schweitzer develops his ideal of reverence for life. I also show how the framework can …

Transcending Community: Some Thoughts On Havel And Bergson, Brian Slattery

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Salus Populi Suprema Lex: The Impact Of Three Major European Thinkers On The Constitution Of The United States, Corey W. Smith

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Within the context of discussions regarding the Constitution and its forming, great emphasis is given to the history of the ideas which influenced and/or became a part of that document. The general term given to the line of thought of which our Constitution is a part is "natural law" theory, referring to the rights which the founding fathers, or natural law theorists in general, deemed so basic as to be understood. Such a doctrine manifests as the "inalienable rights ... life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration of Independence, but in a more subdued and practical manner …

Liberty, Chandran Kukathas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Such is the rhetorical appeal of the idea of liberty that a variety of political philosophiesclaim to honour it. Republicans and Marxists, no less than libertarians and liberals,maintain that they and they alone are the true defenders of freedom. The literature ofcontemporary political theory is thus replete with rival analyses of the meaning ofliberty, and disputes about its measurement, distribution and institutional requirements. Our aim here is to gain some understanding of the meaning and the conditionsof liberty by working through the thicket of contemporary argument, though we mayhave to rest content with a better knowledge of the terrain.