Matthew C Altman

Kant and Applied Ethics

The Uses and Limits of Kant's Practical Philosophy

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

For better or worse, Immanuel Kant casts a long shadow over contemporary Western thought. The philosophical and historical importance of Kant's ethics can hardly be overestimated, yet his legacy for the wide variety of issues in applied ethics has still not been fully and fairly appreciated. In Kant and Applied Ethics, Matthew C. Altman takes a comprehensive look at Kant's moral philosophy as it relates to the most consequential ethical discussions of our time, including same-sex marriage, corporate responsibility, physician-assisted suicide, health-care allocation, and abortion. This book explains how, by coming to grips with Kant's legacy, we can begin to work through these debates more productively. Altman addresses both the strengths and weaknesses of Kant's ethics, demonstrating the value of his approach for making informed judgments -- Kant's emphasis on freedom, dignity, and mutual respect is particularly compelling -- while identifying the ways in which Kantian presuppositions lead us astray or restrict our vision. Kant and Applied Ethics not only makes a significant contribution to Kant scholarship, but also illuminates the moral parameters of some of our thorniest social and political controversies.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Wiley
• Seitenzahl: 336
• Erscheinungstermin: 11. August 2014
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 228mm x 149mm x 20mm
• Gewicht: 428g
• ISBN-13: 9781118903452
• ISBN-10: 1118903455
• Artikelnr.: 41197251

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

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