by William Vitek
Temple University Press, 1993
Cloth: 978-1-56639-052-1 | eISBN: 978-1-4399-0409-1
Library of Congress Classification BJ1500.P7V58 1993
Dewey Decimal Classification 170

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ABOUT THIS BOOK

William Vitek enlarges our understanding by treating the act of promising as a social practice and complex human experience. Citing engaging examples of promises made in everyday life, in extraordinary circumstances, and in literary works, Vitek grapples with the central paradox of promising: that human beings can intend a future to which they are largely blind.


Promising evaluates contemporary approaches to the topic by such philosophers as John Rawls, John Searle, Henry Sidgwick, P.S. Atiyah, and Michael Robbins but transcend their more limited focus on promissory obligation. Vitek's innovative approach moves beyond theories of language, ethics, and law to unveil a complex human activity subject to shifting interpretations and changes in nature.



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