Matthew C. Altman

Kant and Applied Ethics (eBook, ePUB)

The Uses and Limits of Kant's Practical Philosophy

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Kant and Applied Ethics makes an important contribution to Kant scholarship, illuminating the vital moral parameters of key ethical debates. * Offers a critical analysis of Kant's ethics, interrogating the theoretical bases of his theory and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses * Examines the controversies surrounding the most important ethical discussions taking place today, including abortion, the death penalty, and same-sex marriage * Joins innovative thinkers in contemporary Kantian scholarship, including Christine Korsgaard, Allen Wood, and Barbara Herman, in taking Kant's philosophy in new and interesting directions * Clarifies Kant's legacy for applied ethics, helping us to understand how these debates have been structured historically and providing us with the philosophical tools to address them

Produktdetails

• Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
• Seitenzahl: 336
• Erscheinungstermin: 26. August 2011
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781118114131
• Artikelnr.: 37646141

Autorenporträt

Matthew C. Altman is an associate professor of philosophy and chair of the Philosophy & Religious Studies Department at Central Washington University. In addition to articles in ethics, applied ethics, and the history of philosophy, he is the author of A Companion to Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" (2008), co-author of The Fractured Self in Freud and German Philosophy (2013), and editor of The Palgrave Handbook of German Idealism (2014).

Inhaltsangabe

Preface vi Note on Sources and Key to Abbreviations viii Introduction: Why Kant Now 1 Part I. Applying Kant's Ethics 11 1. Animal Suffering and Moral Character 13 2. Kant's Strategic Importance for Environmental Ethics 45 3. Moral and Legal Arguments for Universal Health Care 71 4. The Scope of Patient Autonomy 90 Part II. Kantian Arguments against Kant's Conclusions 115 5. Subjecting Ourselves to Capital Punishment 117 6. Same-Sex Marriage as a Means to Mutual Respect 139 Part III. Limitations of Kant's Theory 165 7. Consent, Mail-Order Brides, and the Marriage Contract 167 8. Individual Maxims and Social Justice 194 9. The Decomposition of the Corporate Body 217 10. Becoming a Person 241 Conclusion: Emerging from Kant's Long Shadow 283 Bibliography 289 Index 311

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Preface vi

Note on Sources and Key to Abbreviations viii

Introduction: Why Kant Now 1

Part I. Applying Kant's Ethics 11

1. Animal Suffering and Moral Character 13

2. Kant's Strategic Importance for Environmental Ethics45

3. Moral and Legal Arguments for Universal Health Care 71

4. The Scope of Patient Autonomy 90

Part II. Kantian Arguments against Kant'sConclusions 115

5. Subjecting Ourselves to Capital Punishment 117

6. Same-Sex Marriage as a Means to Mutual Respect 139

Part III. Limitations of Kant's Theory 165

7. Consent, Mail-Order Brides, and the Marriage Contract 167

8. Individual Maxims and Social Justice 194

9. The Decomposition of the Corporate Body 217

10. Becoming a Person 241

Conclusion: Emerging from Kant's Long Shadow283

Bibliography 289

Index 311

Rezensionen

"Kant, in Altman's artful hands, holds the key tosolve some of the most intricate issues in applied ethics. Exegesisand philosophical imagination successfully combine in thisappealing book."

--Pablo Muchnik, Emerson College

"In Kant and Applied Ethics, Matthew Altman draws on awide knowledge of Kant's writings, including lesser-knowntexts, to bring Kantian insights to bear on a large range ofdifferent ethical problems from treatment of animals and respectfor the environment to suicide and punishment and abortion. It willdefinitely be a valuable teaching tool. And it proves somethingthat should be more widely recognized, namely, that applied ethicsis just ethics, and applied philosophy is justphilosophy."

--Jeffrey Reiman, American University

"Kant and Applied Ethics is a stimulating attempt toassess the relevance of Kantian theory for contemporary moralproblems. Kantian moral philosophers will find much to disagreewith, but there is no doubt that the book raises important puzzlesfor Kantian moral theory. Those unpersuaded by Kantian theory mayfind ammunition to use against Kantianism. Those who wish to defendKant's theory may find a helpful formulation of some seriouschallenges to Kant's moral philosophy."

--Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"Altman is a reliable and sympathetic guide to Kantianpositions on the most common issues in applied ethics, as well asan incisive critic who is candid about the limits of Kantianethics."

--Aaron Bunch, Washington State University