Customer Reviews

The Bounds of Agency

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This book tackles some important problems and presents some very startling, interesting theses. For one, it expands the notion of a person - typically what we have in mind when we say all persons have a right to x - beyond biological limitations or limtations to a single consciousness. This opens up the possibility for group persons, with many interesting legal and ethical implications, some of which are explored in the postscript. She also tackles the issue of commitment to rational unity with unique openness. Instead of saying either that no one has it or that everyone must have it, she leaves it as a condition. There are also some nice discussions of the meaning of agency as well. If you are at all interested in Locke's discussion of identity, this is certainly a must read.

A tough read, and extremely gratifying when you take the time. Rovane is a master of her subject matter and makes some terrific points about the nature of being a person. The seriousness with which Rovane sets up her arguments and reviews them later on is a great lesson in how to do good philosophy.

Her account of the prejudice of hypocrisy should be standard knowledge: the denial of the personhood of other persons, without acknowledging that anything of ethical significance has happened at all.

A great book!