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165Book Reviews : The Question of Christian Ethics by Ralph McInerny. Washington: Catholic University of America Press (London: Eurospan). 1993. 74pp. pb. 9.95 (review)Studies in Christian Ethics 8 (1): 128-131. 1995.
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61The Philosophy of the EnvironmentEdinburgh University Press. 2020.The essays in this welcome collection put environmental thinking into the broader context of philosophical thought.
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144I compare the two main readings of the argument against Protagorean relativism that 'Socrates' presents at Theaetetus 170-171, argue against both of them, and present a third alternative reading.
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46An outline and discussion of Plato's changing views about the theory of knowledge.
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432Integrity and DemandingnessEthical Theory and Moral Practice 10 (3): 255-265. 2007.I discuss Bernard Williams’ ‘integrity objection’ – his version of the demandingness objection to unreasonably demanding ‘extremist’ moral theories such as consequentialism – and argue that it is best understood as presupposing the internal reasons thesis. However, since the internal reasons thesis is questionable, so is Williams’ integrity objection. I propose an alternative way of bringing out the unreasonableness of extremism, based on the notion of the agent’s autonomy, and show how an objec…Read more
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1100Ethical blind-spots: Why socrates was not a cosmopolitanRatio 23 (1): 17-33. 2010.Though Socrates can easily look like a cosmopolitan in moral and political theory, a closer reading of the relevant texts shows that, in the most important sense of the term as we now use it, he turns out – disappointingly, perhaps – not to be. The reasons why not are instructive and important, both for readers of Plato and for political theorists; they have to do with the phenomenon that I shall call ethical blind-spots.
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49Why Ethics is HardJournal of Moral Philosophy 10 (4). 2013.I argue that one central resource for ethical thinking, seriously under-explored in contemporary anglophone philosophy, is moral phenomenology, the exploration of the texture and quality of moral experience. Perhaps a barrier that has prevented people from using this resource is that it’s hard to talk about experience. But such knowledge can be communicated, e.g. by poetry and drama. In having such experiences, either in real life or at second-hand through art, we can gain moral knowledge, rathe…Read more
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212Reading Plato’s TheaetetusHackett Pub. Co.. 2004.Timothy Chappell’s new translation of the Theaetetus is presented here in short sections of text, each preceded by a summary of the argument and followed by his philosophical commentary on it. Introductory remarks discuss Plato and his works, his use of dialogue, the structure of the Theaetetus, and alternative interpretations of the work as a whole. A glossary and bibliography are provided.
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1314Moral perceptionPhilosophy 83 (4): 421-437. 2008.I develop an account of moral perception which is able to deal well with familiar naturalistic non-realist complaints about ontological extravagance and ‘queerness’. I show how this account can also ground a cogent response to familiar objections presented by Simon Blackburn and J.L. Mackie. The familiar realist's problem about relativism, however, remains.
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75
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94Reason, Passion, and Action: The Third Condition of the VoluntaryPhilosophy 70 (273). 1995.1. ‘Reason is and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can pretend to no other office, but to serve and obey them.’ 2.3.3) Unfortunately, Hume uses ‘reason’ to mean ‘discovery of truth or falsehood‘ as well as discovery of logical relations. So suppose we avoid, as Hume I think does not, prejudging the question of how many ingredients are requisite for action, by separating these two claims out: A. Reason is and ought only to be the slave of the passions. B. Reason ) is and ought only…Read more
Areas of Interest
1 more
| Normative Ethics |
| Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy |
| Epistemology |
| Philosophy of Mind |
| Philosophy of Religion |
| Applied Ethics |