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55Kantian Autonomy and Divine CommandsFaith and Philosophy 4 (3): 276-281. 1987.James Rachels has argued that a morally autonomous person (in Kant’s sense) could not consistently accept the authority of divine commands. Against Rachels, this essay argues (a) that the Kantian concept of moral autonomy is to be analyzed in terms of an agent’sresponsiveness to the best available moral reasons and (b) that it is simply question-begging against divine command theory to assume that such commands could not count as the best moral reasons available to an agent.
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140Hume and Kant on the social contractPhilosophical Studies 33 (1). 1978.The central or dominant intellectual model which provided the structure of social and political thought in the 18th century was the "social contract". Both hume and kant felt obliged to assess it carefully-Hume coming out an opponent and kant a supporter of the model. This opposition is particularly interesting for the following reason: hume's attack on social contract theory is directed primarily against hobbes and locke, And it is interesting to see if post-Humean social contract theories (esp…Read more
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39Meaningfulness and the Doctrine of Eternal ReturnInternational Studies in Philosophy 18 (2): 61-66. 1986.
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61Forgiveness and MercyCambridge University Press. 1988.This book focuses on the degree to which certain moral and legal doctrines are rooted in specific passions that are then institutionalised in the form of criminal law. A philosophical analysis is developed of the following questions: when, if ever, should hatred be overcome by sympathy or compassion? What are forgiveness and mercy and to what degree do they require - both conceptually and morally - the overcoming of certain passions and the motivation by other passions? If forgiveness and mercy …Read more
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25Review of William Ian Miller, Eye for an Eye (review)Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews 2006 (7). 2006.
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83A paradox in Locke's Theory of Natural RightsDialogue 8 (2): 256-271. 1969.There are certain recurring objections to Locke's theory of legitimate government and the conception of natural rights on which it is based. These objections generally take the form of showing that most of Locke's claims in the Second Treatise stand largely as ad hoc assertions, defended—if at all—not by philosophical argumentation but by appeals to theology or intuition. These criticisms might be called external criticisms of Locke's theory because they focus, not upon the coherence of the theo…Read more
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Legal Moralism and Retribution RevisitedProceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 80 (2): 45-62. 2006.
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76Kant’s Concept of a Right ActionThe Monist 51 (4): 574-598. 1967.Introduction. For the most part, Kant’s moral philosophy is no longer taught. What is taught instead is a parody of Kant’s moral philosophy. His views, generally used as a foil for some other view like utilitarianism, are summed up in a few popular cliches which have achieved the status of interpretive dogma. Small wonder that undergraduates go away thinking that Kant is, at worst, a moral fanatic or, at best, a well-intentioned bungler who allowed his right-wing political views and Pietist upbr…Read more
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10Happiness and immoralityIn Exploring ethics: an introductory anthology, Oxford University Press. 2009.
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2The Justice of EconomicsPhilosophical Topics 14 (2): 195-210. 1986.A critique of Richard Posner's suggestion that notions of economic efficiency can serve as ethical foundations.
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59[Book review] forgiveness and mercy (review)Ethics 100 (2): 413-415. 1990.This book focuses on the degree to which certain moral and legal doctrines are rooted in specific passions that are then institutionalised in the form of criminal law. A philosophical analysis is developed of the following questions: when, if ever, should hatred be overcome by sympathy or compassion? What are forgiveness and mercy and to what degree do they require - both conceptually and morally - the overcoming of certain passions and the motivation by other passions? If forgiveness and mercy …Read more
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Arizona State UniversityRegular Faculty
Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Normative Ethics |
Philosophy of Law |