Morals by Agreement

ISBN-13: 9780198249924 / Angielski / Miękka / 1987 / 378 str.

David Guthier; David Gauthier

Opis

Are moral principles actually principles of rational choice? Starting from the view that it is rational always to choose what will give one the greatest expectation of value or utility--and the common counter-claim that this procedure, applied in many situations, will actually leave people worse off than need be--Gauthier instead proposes a principle of cooperation whereby each must choose in accordance with a principle to which all can agree. He shows that not only does such a principle ensure mutual benefit and fairness, but also that each person may expect greater utility from actually adhering to a morality based on it, even though his other choice did not have that specific end primarily in view. In resolving what may appear to be a paradox, he establishes morals on the foundation of reason.

Recenzje

One of the clearest, most rigorous, and most original attempts to provide a rational foundation for morality in the history of moral philosophy....Promises to become one of the seminal works of twentieth-century moral philosophy.