This magisterial study tells the story of a new way of doing ethics, starting in the seventeenth century, that was based on secular ideas of human psychology and universal accountability. It also shows that this modern approach remains relevant to us today and that it has a vibrant future.
The essays delve into the concept of second-personal morality, emphasizing mutual accountability and the authority to make demands of one another. Darwall showcases how this framework can effectively clarify various topics within moral, political, and legal philosophy, offering fresh insights into complex ethical discussions.
Exploring the concept of welfare, the book introduces a "rational care theory of welfare" that redefines our understanding of what constitutes human well-being. Stephen Darwall argues that a deeper comprehension of welfare is crucial for ethical philosophy and everyday considerations. By addressing the often-overlooked aspects of welfare, he highlights how this knowledge can significantly influence our perceptions of what truly benefits individuals and society.
Exploring ethics through a philosophical lens, Stephen Darwall challenges students to engage with fundamental questions relevant to human existence. Key themes include the essence of value and moral duty, the concepts of freedom and choice, and the pursuit of human flourishing. The text also delves into critiques of morality and emphasizes the significance of relationships in shaping a meaningful life.
What are ethical judgments about? And what is their relation to practice? How can ethical judgment aspire to objectivity? The past two decades have witnessed a resurgence of interest in metaethics, placing questions such as these about the nature and status of ethical judgment at the very center of contemporary moral philosophy.Moral Discourse and Some Philosophical Approaches is a unique anthology which collects important recent work, much of which is not easily available elsewhere, on core metaethical issues. Naturalist moral realism, once devastated by the charge of "naturalistic fallacy," has been reinvigorated, as have versions of moral realism that insist on the discontinuity between ethics and science. Irrealist, expressivist programs have also developed with great subtlety, encouraging the thought that a noncognivist account may actually be able to explain ethical judgments' aspirations to objectivity. Neo-Kantian constructivist theories have flourished as well, offering hope that morality can be grounded in a plausible conception of reasonable conduct. Together, the positions advanced in the essays collected here address these recent developments, constituting a rich array of approaches to contemporary moral philosophy's most fundamental debates. An extensive introduction by Darwall,Gibbard, and Railton is also included, making this volume the most comprehensive and up-to-date work of its kind. Moral Discourse is ideally suited for use in courses in contemporary ethics, ethical theory, and metaethics.