Personhood
Man is an animal and Homo sapiens a mammalian species. But man is not just that, but is a person as well. And this means that we must be able to do—at least sometimes—those sorts of things that mark a person as such and differentiate them from the rest of
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Nicholas Rescher
Ethics Matters
Nicholas Rescher
Ethics Matters Ethical Issues in Pragmatic Perspective
Nicholas Rescher Department of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
ISBN 978-3-030-52035-9 ISBN 978-3-030-52036-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52036-6 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
For Susanne Meinl Extraordinary Historian
Preface
Problems of ethics and moral philosophy have preoccupied me for many years, and I have on various occasions published studies dealing with these issues in the professional literature of philosophy. A number of these studies are included here, along with a good deal of unpublished material. (Details of prior publication are given in the relevant chapter’s notes.) The book covers a varied spectrum of ethical topics, ranging from the fundamental considerations regarding ethical values, to the rationale of obligation, and the ethical management of societal and personal affairs. Its coordinative aim throughout is to show how fundamental general principles underpin the stance we can appropriately take on questions of specific ethical detail. I am grateful to Estelle Burris for her painstaking efforts in preparing this material for publication. Pittsburgh, PA
Nicholas Rescher
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Contents
1 Personhood 1 2 The Ethical Import of Value Attribution 41 3 The Rational Validation of Ethical Values 57 4 Rationality and Moral Obligation 73 5 On Compromise and Obligation 85 6 Moral Luck 97 7 Fairness Problems123 8 On the Ethics of Inaction127 9 A
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