Are individuals responsible for the consequences of actions taken by their community? What about their community's inaction or its attitudes? In this innovative book, Larry May departs from the traditional Western view that moral responsibility is limited to the consequences of overt individual action. Drawing on the insights of Arendt, Jaspers, and Sartre, he argues that even when individuals are not direct participants, they share responsibility for various harms perpetrated by their communities.

Larry May argues that socially responsive individuals need not be self-sacrificing or overly conscientious. According to May, a person's integrity and moral responsibility are shaped and limited not just by conscience but also by socialization and moral support from the communities to which he or she belongs.
Applying his theory of responsibility to professional ethics, May contends that current methods of professional socialization should be changed so that professionals are not expected to ignore considerations of personal well-being, family, or community. For instance, lawyers should...

"A scrupulously argued, clearly written account of Hollywood's role in bringing America skipping and giggling from the Victorian world into the twentieth century."--Philip French, London Sunday Observer
"It is impossible to follow a narrow trail through the movies. The vistas keep opening, and May, linking movies to mass society, finds and makes new perceptions on emerging women, the rise of the studios, the special growth and appeal of Los Angeles, the nature of studio leadership and the early and persistent imputed corrupting power of film."--Charles Champlin, Los Angeles...

"The freshness of the authors' approaches . . . is salutary. . . . The collection is stimulating and valuable." Joan Shelley Rubin, "Journal of American History""

This book was the first booklength treatment of the philosophical foundations of international criminal law.

War crimes are international crimes committed during armed conflict. Larry May argues that the best way to understand war crimes is as crimes against humanness rather than as violations of justice. Throughout, May demonstrates that the principle of humanness in the cornerstone of international humanitarian law, and is itself the basis of the traditional principles of discrimination, necessity, and proportionality.

This analysis of the philosophical foundations of international criminal law focuses on the moral, legal, and political questions that arise when individuals who commit collective crimes, such as crimes against humanity, are held accountable by international criminal tribunals. These tribunals challenge one of the most sacred prerogatives of states--sovereignty--and breaches to this sovereignty can only be justified in limited circumstances. The book should appeal to students of international law, political philosophy, international relations, and human rights theory.

War crimes are international crimes committed during armed conflict. Larry May argues that the best way to understand war crimes is as crimes against humanness rather than as violations of justice. Throughout, May demonstrates that the principle of humanness in the cornerstone of international humanitarian law, and is itself the basis of the traditional principles of discrimination, necessity, and proportionality.

Liberty and equality are often thought of as inseparable ideals; yet what furthers one often diminishes the other, as is seen when colleges seek to enact "hate speech codes" that abridge free expression in the interest of protecting minorities. This collection of orginial articles presents arguments in the ongoing debate among social and political philosophers regarding the nature and relationship of liberty and equality and considers their potential conflict in a pluralistic society.

Liberty, Equality, and Plurality offers new approaches to a set of longstanding concerns in social...

In matters such as affirmative action or home schooling, rights of ethnic and other minority groups often come into conflict with those of society in a culturally diverse population such as ours. But before considering the dilemmas posed by these issues, we must first ask such basic but important questions as what group rights are and how they intersect with the principles of democracy.

This new collection brings together some of today's leading thinkers from the cutting edge of these debates, taking in a broad range of issues confronting philosophers, sociologists, and political...