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27Knowledge and Silence: "The Golden Bowl" and Moral PhilosophyCritical Inquiry 16 (2): 397-437. 1990.When literary texts are included in a course on moral philosophy they tend to be classical tragedies or existentialist novels: texts filled with major moral transgressions and agonized debates over rights, wrongs, and relativism. Recently, however, the focus of much discussion on literature and moral philosophy has been Henry James’s last novel, The Golden Bowl. This ought to seem surprising. For The Golden Bowl is a quintessential Jamesian novel. Almost nothing happens. In the course of more th…Read more
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22Grand ideals: Mill's two perfectionismsHistory of Political Thought 29 (3): 485-515. 2008.argue that there are two forms of perfectionism in John Stuart Mill's work, two ideals of the person. One, the self-development ideal, is found in On Liberty. The other, the strong identification ideal, is tied to Mill's advocacy of a 'religion of humanity' and is found in Utilitarianism, 'Utility of Religion', and other texts. My first concern is to show that Mill's work contains this latter ideal. Next, I situate the strong identification ideal historically. Finally, I ask whether both ideals …Read more
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148Agency and authenticity: Which value grounds patient choice?Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 32 (4): 217-227. 2011.In current American medical practice, autonomy is assumed to be more valuable than human life: if a patient autonomously refuses lifesaving treatment, the doctors are supposed to let him die. In this paper we discuss two values that might be at stake in such clinical contexts. Usually, we hear only of autonomy and best interests. However, here, autonomy is ambiguous between two concepts—concepts that are tied to different values and to different philosophical traditions. In some cases, the two v…Read more
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89Two Types of Civic FriendshipEthical Theory and Moral Practice 16 (4): 729-743. 2013.Among the tasks of modern political philosophy is to develop a favored conception of the relations among modern citizens, among people who can know little or nothing of one another individually and yet are deeply reciprocally dependent. One might think of this as developing a favored conception of civic friendship. In this essay I sketch two candidate conceptions. The first derives from the Kantian tradition, the second from the 1844 Marx. I present the two conceptions and then describe similari…Read more
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18Marx’ neuer MenschIn Christopher F. Zurn & Hans-Christoph Schmidt am Busch (eds.), Anerkennung, Akademie Verlag. pp. 145-180. 2009.
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53Choosing for Another: Beyond Autonomy and Best InterestsHastings Center Report 39 (2): 31-37. 2009.According to bioethics orthodoxy, the question, “What would the patient choose?” is a question about the patient's autonomy. is at stake. In fact, what underpins the moral force of that question is a value different from either autonomy or best interests. This is the value of doing things in a way that is authentic to the person.
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1Styles of selfishnessIn Garry L. Hagberg & Walter Jost (eds.), A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, Wiley-blackwell. 2010.
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98Lord Jim and moral judgment: Literature and moral philosophyJournal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 56 (3): 265-281. 1998.
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99Hypothetical consent and moral forceLaw and Philosophy 10 (3). 1991.This article starts by examining the appeal to hypothetical consent as used by law and economics writers. I argue that their use of this kind of argument has no moral force whatever. I then briefly examine, through some remarks on Rawls and Scanlon, the conditions under which such an argument would have moral force. Finally, I bring these considerations to bear to criticize the argument of judge Frank Easterbrook's majority opinion in Flamm v. Eberstadt.
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81Are alcoholics less deserving of liver transplants?Hastings Center Report 37 (1): 41-47. 2007.When does behavior trigger a lesser claim to medical resources? When does chronic drinking, for example, mean that one has a lesser claim to a liver transplant? Only when one's behavior becomes a callous indifference to others' needs—when one knows the consequences of heavy drinking and knows that by drinking one may end up depriving someone else of a liver.
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29On Noncoercive EstablishmentPolitical Theory 33 (6): 812-839. 2005.In this essay, I raise the question of whether some degree of noncoercive state support for religious conceptions (broadly understood) should be left to the majoritarian branch ofgovernment. I argue that the reason not to do so is that such state support would alienate many citizens. However to take this as a sufficient reason to constrain the majoritarian branch is to accept the thesis that not being alienated from one's polity is a significant part of the human good. Those who would prohibit e…Read more
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7Justification and Radicalism in the 1844 Marx: A Response to Professor AbbeyPhilosophy Today 30 (1): 156-163. 2002.
Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Areas of Interest
Social and Political Philosophy |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |