God, Free Will, and Morality

R. Richman

ISBN 10: 9027715483 / ISBN 13: 9789027715487

Editore: Springer, Springer Aug 1983, 1983

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This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -'He [Francis Bacon] writes of science like a Lord Chan cellor' - William Harvey 'Don't say: 'There must be something common . . . ' - but look and see' Ludwig Wittgenstein In the history of western moral philosophy since Plato, there has been a pervasive tendency for the moral theorist to wri~e, in effect, like a scientist, Le. to seek completely general prin ciples of right conduct. Of late, moreover, there has been an attempt to set forth a theory underlying the general principles, not of right conduct, admittedly, but of justice. To be sure, we are sometimes warned that the principles (which must exist ) may be too complex to be formulated. Also they may not exist prior to action - nonetheless, we are told, they serve as guides to conduct! One inight argue that Baconian inductivism provides one basis for skepticism with respect to a number of familiar epistemological problems. Thus, the skeptic argues, a certain conclusion - say, the existence of another's pain - is not justified on the basis of (behavioral) evidence either deductively or inductively, and hence it is not justified at all. Similarly, I should claim, by establishing an unattainable standard, the search for exceptionless principles may become a source of moral skepticism. After all, when con fronted with a supposed principle designed to justify a particular ix x PREFACE action, one can generally imagine a counter-example to the prin ciple without excessive difficulty.Springer-Verlag KG, Sachsenplatz 4-6, 1201 Wien 212 pp. Englisch.

Codice articolo 9789027715487

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: God, Free Will, and Morality
• Editore: Springer, Springer Aug 1983
• Data di pubblicazione: 1983
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 9027715483
• ISBN 13: 9789027715487
• Rilegatura: Buch
• Condizione: Neu
• Dimensioni: 241 L x 160 A x 17 P (millimetri) 241 millimetri di larghezza per 160 millimetri di altezza per 17 millimetri di profondità
• Peso: 489 grammi

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Riassunto

"He [Francis Bacon] writes of science like a Lord Chan cellor" - William Harvey "Don't say: 'There must be something common . . . ' - but look and see" Ludwig Wittgenstein In the history of western moral philosophy since Plato, there has been a pervasive tendency for the moral theorist to wri~e, in effect, like a scientist, Le. to seek completely general prin­ ciples of right conduct. Of late, moreover, there has been an attempt to set forth a theory underlying the general principles, not of right conduct, admittedly, but of justice. To be sure, we are sometimes warned that the principles (which must exist?) may be too complex to be formulated. Also they may not exist prior to action - nonetheless, we are told, they serve as guides to conduct! One inight argue that Baconian inductivism provides one basis for skepticism with respect to a number of familiar epistemological problems. Thus, the skeptic argues, a certain conclusion - say, the existence of another's pain - is not justified on the basis of (behavioral) evidence either deductively or inductively, and hence it is not justified at all. Similarly, I should claim, by establishing an unattainable standard, the search for exceptionless principles may become a source of moral skepticism. After all, when con­ fronted with a supposed principle designed to justify a particular ix x PREFACE action, one can generally imagine a counter-example to the prin­ ciple without excessive difficulty.

Contenuti

I / Introduction.- III / Practical Reasoning, Action, and Weakness of Will.- III/ The Dilemma of Obligability.- IV/ Was Free Will a Pseudo-Problem?.- V/ The Fly in the Flypaper.- VI/ Oughts and Cans.- VII/ Unprincipled Morality.- VIII/ Beyond Intuitionism — A Step.- IX/ “To Forgive All…”.- X/ “With God All is Permitted”.- Notes.