Moral philosophers and the novel : a study of Winch, Nussbaum, and Rorty

In this fascinating study, Peter Johnson makes explicit the issues involved in using the novel as a source in moral philosophy. The book pays close attention to questions of method, aesthetic accounts of the novel and the nature of ethical knowledge. The views of leading philosophers are examined and criticized in the light of the book's distinctive contribution to the current debate. In This New Study, Peter Johnson Assesses The Role Of The Novel In Moral Philosophy. Students Of Philosophy Are Keen To Include Selected Novels As Part Of Courses In Ethics. Often, However, They Do Not Know How Novels Are To Be Read Philosophically, Or What Pictures Of The Novel Are Conducive To Such Readings. Addressing This Need, Johnson Explores The Views Of Three Prominent Philosophers (winch, Nussbaum And Rorty), Criticising Them In The Light Of A Distinctive Understanding Of The Novel's World. In This Book Students Will Find Detailed Discussions Of The Moral Quandaries The Novel Displays Together With Informed Engagement With Leading Philosophers In The Current Debate.--book Jacket. The Middle Ground -- Decent Signs -- Enter The Novel -- The Novel's Gifts -- Fiction And The Good -- The Novel And Ethical Reflection -- Goods And Powers -- Truth Drops Out -- Versions Of Events -- Fictions And Freedom. Peter Johnson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 196-200) And Index. In this fascinating study, Peter Johnson makes explicit the issues involved in using the novel as a source in moral philosophy. The book pays close attention to questions of method, aesthetic accounts of the novel and the nature of ethical knowledge. The views of leading philosophers are examined and criticised in the light of the book's distinctive contribution to the current debate.