Vices, Virtues, and Consequences: Essays in Moral and Political Philosophy

by Peter Simpson
Catholic University of America Press, 2019
Paper: 978-0-8132-3200-3, eISBN: 978-0-8132-3201-0

ABOUT THIS BOOK
Vices, Virtues, and Consequences offers a broad study of the basic and universal issues in ethics and politics, the issues of what the human good is and how to attain it and avoid its opposite. These questions have long been debated and are no less debated today. However, according to author Peter Phillips Simpson, within the mainstream of Anglo-American modern philosophy they have been debated too narrowly. This narrowness is one of our modern vices, and it does much to encourage other vices, in particular that of despair of universal and objective reason. The essays in this collection not only attack these vices, but also attempt to replace them with the contrary virtues.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Acknowledgments
General Introduction
Part I. Moral Philosophy
MacIntyre and Fragmented Moral Traditions
Rawls and the Abandonment of Moral Philosophy
Moore and the Naturalistic Fallacy
Narrowness of Anglo-American Philosophy
Introduction
The Realism of Machiavelli
Kantian Autonomous Morality
Conclusion
The Phenomenon of Doing Wrong
The Rights and Wrongs of Making One's Own Right and Wrong
Fear and Duty as Foundation of the Idea of Doing Wrong
The Human End as Foundation of the Idea of Doing Wrong
Concluding Remarks
Introduction
Two Understandings of Justice
Justice and Consequences
Two Understandings of Consequences
Introduction
Theory, Practice, and Prejudice
Gentlemanly Ethics
Gentlemanly Politics
Conclusion
Introduction
The Naturalistic Fallacy
Saint Thomas on Facts and Values
Saint Thomas on the 'Is' and the 'Ought'
Conclusion
A Contempory Account of Practical Thinking
Criticism of This Account
Practical Thinking Rethought
The First Principle of Practical Thinking
Part II. Political Philosophy
Introduction
Justification of the Concept of Nature
Application of the Concept to Politics
Conclusion
Reasons to Deny to Political Authority the Teaching of Morals
Insufficiency of These Reasons
Kinds of Political Authority and Their Role in Teaching Morals
Flew on Rule by Tyrants
Flew on Rule by Gods
In Defense of Rule by Gods
Conclusion
Introduction
Why the State Must Be Liberal
Why the Community Must Not Be Liberal
That Most Critics and Defenders of Liberalism Are Wrong
Conclusion
Freedom
Aristotle's Nose
Representative Oligarchy
The Basic Idea of Natural Law
The Relation of Natural Law to Human or Positive Law
The Relation of Natural Law to the Human Law F.A.C.E.
Natural Law and the U.S. Constitution
Disobedience to F.A.C.E. and the Alleged Threat of Anarchy
Absurdity of Judicial Attempts to Uphold F.A.C.E.
Introduction
The Idea of Just War
Just War and Rebellion
The Case of Northern Ireland
Justifiable Violence in Northern Ireland
The Question of the IRA
Conclusion
Introduction
Authentic Person
Authentic Work
Bibliography
Index

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