To ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, ethics was chiefly the study of how individuals attain personal excellence, or 'virtue', defined as intellectual sophistication, wisdom, and creativity. Evaluating Western ethics, this book presents an argument that philosophy must return to the classical notion of virtue as the basis of ethics.
Offering an introduction to natural law ethics, this book introduces readers to the mainstream tradition of Western moral philosophy. Building on philosophers from Plato through Aquinas to John Finnis, it links morality to the protection of basic human goods.
The Aristotelian Logical Structure of Thomas Aquinas's Moral Theory
This work argues that in order to understand and determine the morality (or immorality) of a human action, it must be considered in relation to the system of human practices within which it is performed. It argues that such an approach is to be found in the natural law theory of Thomas Aquinas, especially once it is recognized that the logical ......
Western moral and political theory in the last two centuries has held that morality and politics are independent of a divine reality. This title argues that there is a necessary relation between moral worth and belief in God. It defends a return to the view that moral and political principles depend on a divine purpose.
Just what is a human being? Who counts? The answers to these questions are crucial when one is faced with the ethical issue of taking human life. This title affirms the intrinsic personal dignity and inviolability of human individuals, and denies that it can ever be moral to intentionally kill another.
A broad study of basic issues in ethics and politics, what the human good is, how to attain it and how to avoid its opposite. The author argues that mainstream Anglo-American philosophy debates these issues too narrowly, hence encouraging other vices like despair of universal and objective reason.
The author of this study undertakes an investigation of the metaethical grounds of ""rights"" theory, with special focus on the controversial issue of whether creatures other than humans can and should be considered true subjects of ""rights"". He contends that before assigning rights to this or that individual or group, whether human or not, we ......
The author of this study undertakes an investigation of the metaethical grounds of ""rights"" theory, with special focus on the controversial issue of whether creatures other than humans can and should be considered true subjects of ""rights"". He contends that before assigning rights to this or that individual or group, whether human or not, we ......
In this book, Cees J Hamelink proposes an answer to - how should democratic societies organize cyberspace? - that puts human-rights, rather than profit, at the top of the agenda. He argues that conventional ethical approaches are all seriously flawed. There is a growing volume of moral rules, netiquettes and codes of conduct, but they are of ......
