Ethics As Social Science: The Moral Philosophy of Social Cooperation (New Thinking in Political Economy Series) [Paperback]

Leland B. Yeager (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1843760428 | ISBN-13: 978-1843760429 | Publication Date: March 2002

With this book, economist Leland B. Yeager grounds moral and political philosophy in the requirements of a well-functioning society, one whose members reap the gains from peaceful co-operation while pursuing their own diverse goals. The book explores the reasons an individual may have for helping to uphold such a society rather than seeking a free ride on the moral behaviour of others. A work in the tradition of Hume, Smith, Mill, von Mises, Hayek and Hazlitt, it expounds a rules or indirect version of utilitarianism. It reviews criticisms of utilitarianism in detail, as well as alternative grounds of ethics including contractarianism, rights-based doctrines, and appeals to specific intuitions. Yeager brings the insights of economics to bear on a field usually dominated by philosophers and theologians. Ethics comes across as a subject amply open to the findings of economics and the other social and natural sciences.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leland B. Yeager, Ludwig von Mises Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics, Auburn University and Paul Goodloe McIntire Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Virginia --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Edward Elgar Pub (March 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843760428
• ISBN-13: 978-1843760429
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,957,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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