The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory (Oxford Handbooks)

The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory is a major new reference work in ethical theory consisting of commissioned essays by leading moral philosophers. Ethical theories have always been of central importance to philosophy, and remain so; ethical theory is one of the most active areas of philosophical research and teaching today. Courses in ethics are taught in colleges and universities at all levels, and ethical theory is the organizing principle for all of them. The Handbook is divided into two parts, mirroring the field. The first part treats meta-ethical theory, which deals with theoretical questions about morality and moral judgment, including questions about moral language, the epistemology of moral belief, the truth aptness of moral claims, and so forth. The second part addresses normative theory, which deals with general moral issues, including the plausibility of various ethical theories and abstract principles of behavior. Examples of such theories are consequentialism and virtue theory. As with other Oxford Handbooks, the twenty-five contributors cover the field in a comprehensive and highly accessible way, while achieving three goals: exposition of central ideas, criticism of other approaches, and putting forth a distinct viewpoint. Cover......Page 1 Series Title......Page 3 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Contributors......Page 15 Introduction: Metaethics and Normative Ethics (David Copp)......Page 18 Part I. Metaethics......Page 52 1. Moral Realism (Geoffrey Sayre-McCord)......Page 54 2. Theological Voluntarism (Philip L. Quinn)......Page 78 3. Ethical Naturalism (Nicholas L. Sturgeon)......Page 106 4. Nonnaturalism (Jonathan Dancy)......Page 137 5. Antirealist Expressivism and Quasi-Realism (Simon Blackburn)......Page 161 6. Biology and Ethics (Philip Kitcher)......Page 178 7. Sensibility Theory and Projectivism (Justin D'Arms and Daniel Jacobson)......Page 201 8. Moral Sentimentalism and Moral Psychology (Michael Slote)......Page 234 9. Moral Relativism and Moral Nihilism (James Dreier)......Page 255 10. Humean Theory of Practical Rationality (Peter Railton)......Page 280 11. Morality and Practical Reason: A Kantian Approach (Stephen Darwall)......Page 297 12. Free Will and Moral Responsibility (John Martin Fischer)......Page 336 Part II. Normative Ethical Theory......Page 370 13. Value Theory (Thomas Hurka)......Page 372 14. Some Forms and Limits of Consequentialism (David O. Brink)......Page 395 15. Deontology (David McNaughton and Piers Rawling)......Page 439 16. Moral Rights (Hillel Steiner)......Page 474 17. Kantian Normative Ethics (Thomas E. Hill, Jr. )......Page 495 18. Virtue Ethics (Julia Annas)......Page 530 19. The Ethics of Care (Virginia Held)......Page 552 20. Particularism and Antitheory (Mark Lance and Margaret Little)......Page 582 21. Intuitions in Moral Inquiry (Michael R. DePaul)......Page 610 22. Theory, Practice,and Moral Reasoning (Gerald Dworkin)......Page 639 A......Page 660 C......Page 661 D......Page 663 E......Page 664 F......Page 665 G......Page 666 H......Page 667 J......Page 668 M......Page 669 N......Page 672 P......Page 673 R......Page 675 S......Page 676 V......Page 678 W......Page 679 Z......Page 680 Cover 1 Series Title 3 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Preface 8 Contents 10 Contributors 15 Introduction: Metaethics and Normative Ethics (David Copp) 18 Part I. Metaethics 52 1. Moral Realism (Geoffrey Sayre-McCord) 54 2. Theological Voluntarism (Philip L. Quinn) 78 3. Ethical Naturalism (Nicholas L. Sturgeon) 106 4. Nonnaturalism (Jonathan Dancy) 137 5. Antirealist Expressivism and Quasi-Realism (Simon Blackburn) 161 6. Biology and Ethics (Philip Kitcher) 178 7. Sensibility Theory and Projectivism (Justin D'Arms and Daniel Jacobson) 201 8. Moral Sentimentalism and Moral Psychology (Michael Slote) 234 9. Moral Relativism and Moral Nihilism (James Dreier) 255 10. Humean Theory of Practical Rationality (Peter Railton) 280 11. Morality and Practical Reason: A Kantian Approach (Stephen Darwall) 297 12. Free Will and Moral Responsibility (John Martin Fischer) 336 Part II. Normative Ethical Theory 370 13. Value Theory (Thomas Hurka) 372 14. Some Forms and Limits of Consequentialism (David O. Brink) 395 15. Deontology (David McNaughton and Piers Rawling) 439 16. Moral Rights (Hillel Steiner) 474 17. Kantian Normative Ethics (Thomas E. Hill, Jr. ) 495 18. Virtue Ethics (Julia Annas) 530 19. The Ethics of Care (Virginia Held) 552 20. Particularism and Antitheory (Mark Lance and Margaret Little) 582 21. Intuitions in Moral Inquiry (Michael R. DePaul) 610 22. Theory, Practice,and Moral Reasoning (Gerald Dworkin) 639 Index 660 A 660 B 661 C 661 D 663 E 664 F 665 G 666 H 667 I 668 J 668 K 669 L 669 M 669 N 672 O 673 P 673 Q 675 R 675 S 676 T 678 U 678 V 678 W 679 Y 680 Z 680

The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory is a major new reference work in ethical theory consisting of commissioned essays by leading moral philosophers. Ethical theories have always been of central importance to philosophy, and remain so; ethical theory is one of the most active areas of philosophical research and teaching today. Courses in ethics are taught in colleges and universities at all levels, and ethical theory is the organizing principle for all of them.

The Handbook is divided into two parts, mirroring the field. The first part treats meta-ethical theory, which deals with theoretical questions about morality and moral judgment, including questions about moral language, the epistemology of moral belief, the truth aptness of moral claims, and so forth. The second part addresses normative theory, which deals with general moral issues, including the plausibility of various ethical theories and abstract principles of behavior. Examples of such theories are consequentialism and virtue theory. As with other Oxford Handbooks, the twenty-five contributors cover the field in a comprehensive and highly accessible way, while achieving three goals: exposition of central ideas, criticism of other approaches, and putting forth a distinct viewpoint.

This handbook is a comprehensive reference work in ethical theory consisting of commissioned articles by leading scholars. The first part treats metaethics and the second part normative ethical theory