-
19Democracy, Trust and the Problem of ‘Dirty Hands’Philosophy in the Contemporary World 10 (1): 37-42. 2003.‘Dirty hands’ scenarios require politicians to commit moral violations to achieve worthwhile goals. To mitigate the harm done to the fiduciary relationship underlying a democratic society, I argue for the adoption of two procedures: retrospective accountability and special oversight committees. I also offer three criteria for a much-required political ethic.
-
139Punishing 'Dirty Hands'—Three JustificationsEthical Theory and Moral Practice 16 (4): 879-897. 2013.Should those who get dirty hands be punished? There is strong disagreement among even those who support the existence of such scenarios. The problem arises because the paradoxical nature of dirty hands - doing wrong to do right - renders the standard normative justifications for punishment unfit for purpose. The Consequentialist, Retributivist and Communicative approaches cannot accommodate the idea that an action can be right, all things considered, but nevertheless also a categorical wrong. Th…Read more
-
35Shamanistic Incantations? Rawls, Reasonableness and Secular FundamentalismPolitics and Ethics Review 3 (1): 109-128. 2007.The paper examines a specific charge against Rawls's political liberalism, namely that the manner in which it uses the notion of reasonableness renders it a form of secular fundamentalism. The paper begins with an examination of what Rawls means by his notion of ‘the reasonable’ and briefly outlines its role in his version of political liberalism. This leads to a discussion of the different meanings of ‘secular fundamentalism’ and how it is specifically used in its criticism of Rawls's ‘justice …Read more
-
30Defining EvilThe Monist 85 (2): 210-238. 2002.In J. M. Coetzee’s novel, Waiting for the Barbarians, the main protagonist, the elderly Magistrate of a small frontier town of the Empire, is caught up in an impending war with the so-called barbarians. After witnessing the brutality of Colonel Joll, a member of the Bureau sent by the Civil Guard, the Magistrate puzzles over how Joll is able to torture his victims, yet show no signs of moral pollution. He wonders how Joll felt the very first time he administered torture. Did he “shudder even a l…Read more
-
48The family and political justice – the case for political liberalismsThe Journal of Ethics 4 (3): 257-282. 2000.This paper examines two central arguments raised byfeminist theorists against the coherence andconsistency of political liberalisms, a recentrecasting of liberal theories of justice. They arguethat due to political liberalisms'' uncritical relianceon a political/personal distinction, they permit theinstitution of the family to take sexist and illiberalforms thus undermining its own aims and politicalproject. Political liberalisms'' tolerance of a widerange of family forms result in two fatalinco…Read more
-
Recalibrating Steiner on evilIn Stephen De Wijze, Matthew H. Kramer & Ian Carter (eds.), Hillel Steiner and the Anatomy of Justice: Themes and Challenges, Routledge. pp. 214. 2009.
-
13Democracy, Trust and the Problem of ‘Dirty Hands’Philosophy in the Contemporary World 10 (1): 37-42. 2003.‘Dirty hands’ scenarios require politicians to commit moral violations to achieve worthwhile goals. To mitigate the harm done to the fiduciary relationship underlying a democratic society, I argue for the adoption of two procedures: retrospective accountability and special oversight committees. I also offer three criteria for a much-required political ethic.
-
11Shamanistic Incantations? Rawls, Reasonableness and Secular FundamentalismJournal of International Political Theory 3 109-128. 2007.The paper examines a specific charge against Rawls's political liberalism, namely that the manner in which it uses the notion of reasonableness renders it a form of secular fundamentalism. The paper begins with an examination of what Rawls means by his notion of ‘the reasonable’ and briefly outlines its role in his version of political liberalism. This leads to a discussion of the different meanings of ‘secular fundamentalism’ and how it is specifically used in its criticism of Rawls's ‘justice …Read more
-
2Machiavellian Thoughts on Mbeki : Between Political Cynicism & Moral NaivetyAustralian Journal of Professional and Applied Ethics 2 (1). 2000.
-
51The real issues concerning dirty hands--a response to Kai..South African Journal of Philosophy 15 (4): 149-151. 1996.
-
20South Africa and the prospect of political liberalismCritical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 2 (3): 48-80. 1999.This article outlines the basic tenets of political liberalism, a recent twist in liberal theories of justice, and distinguishes a ?sufficiency? approach from its more ?egalitarian? rivals. The article argues that a ?sufficiency? principle as the basis for distributing social and material goods, is a logical extension of the commitment to a democratic ideal, one that is required to give substance to political rights guaranteed to all citizens as free and equal members of society. To illustrate t…Read more
-
19Hillel Steiner and the Anatomy of Justice: Themes and Challenges (edited book)Routledge. 2009.Throughout the English-speaking world, and in the many other countries where analytic philosophy is studied, Hillel Steiner is esteemed as one of the foremost contemporary political philosophers. This volume is designed as a festschrift for Steiner and as an important collection of philosophical essays in its own right. The editors have assembled a roster of highly distinguished international contributors, all of whom are eager to pay tribute to Steiner by focusing on topics on which he himself …Read more
-
158Tragic-remorse–the anguish of dirty handsEthical Theory and Moral Practice 7 (5): 453-471. 2005.This paper outlines and defends a notion of tragic-remorse. This moral emotion properly accompanies those actions that involve unavoidable moral wrongdoing in general and dirty hands scenarios in particular. Tragic-remorse differs both phenomenologically and conceptually from regret, agent-regret and remorse. By recognising the existence of tragic-remorse, we are better able to account for our complex moral reality which at times makes it necessary for good persons to act in ways that although j…Read more
Manchester, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland