Noted philosopher Kai Nielsen offers an answer to this fundamental question - a question that reaches in to grasp at the very heart of ethics itself. Essentially, this innocent inquiry masks a confusion that so many of us get caught in as we think about moral issues. We fail to realise that there is a difference between judging human behaviour within an ethical context, or set of moral principles, and justifying the principles themselves. According to Nielsen, it is precisely this basic muddle that has spawned all sorts of challenges to morality, from relativism and institutionism to egoism and scepticism.Nielsen first argues the case for these challenges in the strongest possible terms; then he shows that their failure to establish themselves demonstrates a fundamental flaw - an inability to understand what it means to have good reasons for the moral claims we make. In his search for "good reasons" Nielsen must face the innocent question "Why be moral?" He tries to show us that skirmishes among supporters of specific moral principles require a different sort of resolution than those that occur between groups of ethical principles. Justifying an action within a moral point of view is quite different from making the case for having a moral point of view in the first place.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting collection of essays on the question, "Why Be Mo,
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This review is from: Why Be Moral? (Paperback)
Kai Nielsen is well-known for his work in the field of ethics. WHY BE MORAL? is a collection of some of Nielsen's most influential and useful essays on the basis or grounding of morality itself. One word of caution, though: contrary to what the back cover says, this book is not written in a "nontechnical style." Nielsen uses A LOT of philosophical jargon; this book is probably inaccessible by anyone who has not completed a college-level course on ethics.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unflinching look at morality question,
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This review is from: Why Be Moral? (Paperback)
This could be a very simple book. Why be Moral? Because some authority tells you to, and speaks about reinforcers and punishers. Nielsen makes us go deeper. Must all bad people be irrational? Must all immorality turn upon the agent? Nielsen takes on these questions head on and leads us into unsettling territory. This is an excellent book, loaded with intellectual and academic integrity.
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