Kant and Parfit: The Groundwork of Morals (Routledge Studies in Ethics and Moral Theory)

Derek Parfit's__On What Matters__is widely recognized as elegant, profound, and destined to change the landscape of moral philosophy. In Volume One, Parfit argues that the distinct--indeed, powerfully conflicting--theories of deontology and contractualism can be woven together in a way so as to yield utilitarian conclusions. Husain Sarkar in this book calls this,__The Ultimate Derivation__. Sarkar argues, however, that this derivation is untenable. To underwrite this conclusion, this book traverses considerable Parfitian terrain. Sarkar shows why Parfit hasn't quite solved what Sidgwick had called "the profoundest problem in ethics"; he offers a reading of Kant, Rawls, and Scanlon that reveals Parfit's keen utilitarian bias; and he demonstrates why Parfit's__Triple Theory__does not succeed in its task of unifying conflicting moral theories (without making substantial utilitarian assumptions). The final chapter of the book is about meta-ethics. It shows that Parfit's__Convergence Principle__is mistaken even though it unveils Parfit's utterly humane concerns: Moral philosophers are not, as Parfit thinks, climbing the same mountain. But for all that, Sarkar maintains, Parfit's book is arguably the greatest consequential tract in the history of moral philosophy. Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Prologue 11 Part I The Framework for the Ultimate Derivation 20 1 Sidgwick’s Dualism 22 I. The Three Alternatives 23 II. Sidgwick’s Solution 27 III. Parfit’s Solution 30 IV. An Injection of Subjectivism? 38 V. Reason and Morality 42 VI. The Fundamental Neutral Principle 50 VII. Conclusion 53 2 Kant’s Ideal: The Consent Principle 55 I. Some Key Definitions 57 II. The Redundancy Objection 63 III. Ramifications of the Redundancy Objection 68 IV. Possible or Actual Consent 74 V. The Parfitian Dilemma 77 VI. The Rights Principle 80 VII. Under the Shadow of Consequentialism 83 VIII. Conclusion 87 3 Kant’s Ideal: The Merely as a Means Principle 90 I. Attitude and Well-Being 92 II. Three Illustrations and Possible Consent 99 III. The Standard View Is False 103 IV. Examining the Rough Definition 106 V. Conclusion 117 Part II The Goal: The Greatest Good 120 4 Whither Shall We Go? 122 I. Five Kantian Theses 125 II. The Formula of the Greatest Good 130 III. Distinctions and Definitions 139 IV. Kant and Consequentialism 143 V. The Cardinal Argument 148 VI. The Three Conjectures 154 VII. This World and the World to Come 161 Part III Pathway to the Ultimate Derivation 166 5 The Universal Law 168 I. Objections against the Universal Law 169 II. Mixed Maxims 173 III. The Reformulation of the Universal Law 179 IV. Each–We Dilemmas 187 V. Two Objections against the Universal Law 194 6 The Golden Rule and the Path to Impartiality 198 I. The Golden Rule and the Ground of Duties 200 II. The Four Objections 208 III. What Is the Reference Class? 212 IV. The Kantian Contractualist Formula 219 7 Contractualism: Rawls and Kant 226 I. Rawlsian Moral Contractualism 227 II. Kantian Contractualism 232 III. The Uniqueness Condition 239 8 Contractualism: Scanlon 242 I. Preliminaries 243 II. The Circularity Objection 247 III. The Uniqueness Condition Unsatisfied 255 IV. A Paradox 261 Part IV The Ultimate Derivation 264 9 The Ultimate Derivation I: The Base and the Argument 266 I. Good and Right 267 II. Kantian Argument for Rule Consequentialism Explained 273 10 The Ultimate Derivation II: The Four Objections 278 I. Self-Interested Reasons 279 II. Altruistic and Deontic Reasons 286 III. The Wrong-Making Features Objection 292 IV. Decisive Non-Deontic Reasons 299 V. Conclusion 309 11 The Ultimate Derivation III: The Convergence Argument and the Triple Theory 311 I. The Convergence Argument 313 II. The Triple Theory 322 III. A Top-Down Theory: A Pyrrhic Victory? 328 IV. A Bottom-Up Theory: A Pyrrhic Victory? 333 Part V What Matters, Ultimately? 342 12 The Deep Divide 344 I. The Convergence Claim 346 II. The Illustration 348 III. God, Morality, and the Meaning of Life 350 A. Anscombe 350 B. Nietzsche 352 C. Schopenhauer 358 IV. Parfit versus Kant 364 Bibliography 378 Name Index 384 Subject Index 386 Derek Parfit's 'On What Matters' is widely recognized as elegant, profound, and destined to change the landscape of moral philosophy. In Volume One, Parfit argues that the distinct--indeed, powerfully conflicting--theories of deontology and contractualism can be woven together in a way so as to yield utilitarian conclusions. Husain Sarkar in this book calls this, The Ultimate Derivation. Sarkar argues, however, that this derivation is untenable. To underwrite this conclusion, this book traverses considerable Parfitian terrain. Sarkar shows why Parfit hasn't quite solved what Sidgwick had called "the profoundest problem in ethics"; he offers a reading of Kant, Rawls, and Scanlon that reveals Parfit's keen utilitarian bias; and he demonstrates why Parfit's Triple Theory does not succeed in its task of unifying conflicting moral theories (without making substantial utilitarian assumptions). The final chapter of the book is about meta-ethics. It shows that Parfit's Convergence Principle is mistaken even though it unveils Parfit's utterly humane concerns: Moral philosophers are not, as Parfit thinks, climbing the same mountain. But for all that, Sarkar maintains, Parfit's book is arguably the greatest consequential tract in the history of moral philosophy. -- Publisher's site In On What Matters Parfit argues that the distinct theories of deontology and contractualism can be woven together in a way so as to yield utilitarian conclusions. Sarkar argues that this derivation is untenable. To underwrite this conclusion, this book traverses considerable Parfitian terrain.