Reclaiming the History of Ethics
Essays for John Rawls

The essays in this volume offer an approach to the history of moral and political philosophy that takes its inspiration from John Rawls.

Andrews Reath (Edited by), Barbara Herman (Edited by), Christine M. Korsgaard (Edited by)

9780521063500, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 29 May 2008

428 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.6 cm, 0.646 kg

Review of the hardback: 'Sherman has done a wonderful job in getting us to appreciate that neither Kant's nor Aristotle's ethical theories fit neatly into the categories in terms of which modern moral philosophy would have us read them. her book is philosophically sophisticated, humane, and steeped in an enviable mastery of both the Kantian and the Aristotelian corpus.' Music & Letters

The essays in this volume offer an approach to the history of moral and political philosophy that takes its inspiration from John Rawls. All the contributors are philosophers who have studied with Rawls and they offer this collection in his honour. The distinctive feature of this approach is to address substantive normative questions in moral and political philosophy through an analysis of the texts and theories of major figures in the history of the subject: Aristotle, Hobbes, Hume, Rousseau, Kant and Marx. By reconstructing the core of these theories in a way that is informed by contemporary theoretical concerns, the contributors show how the history of the subject is a resource for understanding present and perennial problems in moral and political philosophy. This outstanding collection will be of particular interest to historians of moral and political philosophy, historians of ideas, and political scientists.

1. Aristotle on the soul's conflict: towards an understanding of virtue ethics Marcia L. Homiak
2. Coercion, ideology and education in Hobbes's Leviathan Sharon A. Lloyd
3. The Hobbesian side of Hume Jean Hampton
4. The natural goodness of humanity Joshua Cohen
5. Metaphysics, philosophy: Rousseau on the problem of evil Susan Neiman
6. Within the limits of reason Onora O'Neill
7. A cosmopolitan kingdom of ends Barbara Herman
8. Legislating for a realm of ends: the social dimension of autonomy Andrews Reath
9. Kant on the objectivity of moral law Adrian M. S. Piper
10. Kantian virtue: priggish or passional? Nancy Sherman
11. Taking the law into our own hands: Kant on the right to revolution Christine M. Korsgaard
12. Kant on aesthetic and biological purposiveness Hannah Ginsborg
13. Kant on ends and the meaning of life Thomas W. Pogge
14. Community and completion David Brudney.

Subject Areas: Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ]