Bøker i Social Philosophy and Policy-serien

In this collection, first published in 2005, twelve prominent philosophers and legal and economic theorists offer valuable insights into the nature of personal identity and its implications for morality and public policy.

With the collapse of communist totalitarianism, the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union face political instability and an uncertain economic future. The people of the region are struggling to emulate the success of the West by moving toward Western-style democracy and markets. The essays in this volume address the liberal transition currently underway. Some of them explore the models offered by political theorists to guide the course of reforms. Some discuss obstacles to change posed by existing attitudes, institutions and cultural traditions. Some examine the nature of liberalism itself, and consider whether democratic politics and free-market economics can coexist without undermining one another. Some offer alternatives to specific Western institutions, arguing that in certain cases it would be unwise for the East to follow the West. Addressing the issues from a variety of perspectives, the contributors to this volume offer valuable insights into the nature of liberalism and the problems facing liberal reformers today.

This book considers whether objective moral truths can be grounded in an understanding of the nature of human beings as rational and social animals. Also discusses the ethical theories of historical figures and whether moral principles and values can be constructed through a process of practical reasoning or deliberation.

The essays in this collection investigate two political traditions and their critical interactions. The first series of essays deals with the development of natural rights individualism. The second series of essays focuses on the Progressive repudiation of natural rights individualism and its far-reaching effect on American politics and public policy.

The institution of private property lies at the heart of contemporary Western societies. However, what are the limits of property ownership? Do principles of justice require some measure of governmental redistribution of property in order to relieve poverty or to promote greater equality among citizens? The essays in this volume address these questions and explore related issues.

The essays in this collection address the issues surrounding modern industrial societies' achievement of economic prosperity undreamed of in earlier times, and the view of the contemporary environmental movement that this prosperity has come at the cost of serious degradations to the natural world.

What are the core values of liberalism and how can they best be promoted? The issues examined include the influence of major thinkers during the transition from classical to modern liberalism, the relationship between government and its citizens and the influence of socialist ideas on contemporary liberals.

Freedom of association is a cherished liberal value. This book explores the history and development of the right of free association, and discusses the limits that may legitimately be placed on this right.

The notion of obligation occupies a central place in morality. The twelve essays in this volume address this and related issues. Some discuss broad theoretical questions, some look at moral reasons for action. Others discuss specific moral obligations or the tensions that may exist between our obligations and our other concerns.

The essays in this volume address the basic purposes of constitutions and their status as fundamental law, deal with specific constitutional provisions, explore questions of constitutional design and examine what form of constitution best promotes personal liberty and economic prosperity.

Essays in this volume address questions about responsibility that arise in moral philosophy and legal theory. Some analyse different theories of causality; some look at responsibility in the legal realm; some explore libertarian views about political freedom and accountability, while still others examine the relationship between responsibility and the emotions.

The essays in this volume explore questions about privacy that are relevant to ethical philosophy and political theory, ranging from discussing the role that privacy plays in American constitutional theory to examining the proper extent of access to medical information and the normative status of the right to die.

The essays in this volume assess the empirical and theoretical questions raised by inequalities of income and wealth. They consider empirical claims about the amount of equality in modern market economies and they ask if inequality is intrinsically immoral regardless of consequences.

What constitutes a just tax system, and what are its moral foundations? Should a society's tax regime be designed to achieve a just distribution of wealth among its citizens, or should such a regime be designed to promote economic growth? These essays examine the history of tax policies, economic data; justice or property rights; specific tax reforms.

What is the nature of law? Does our obligation to obey the law extend to unjust laws? From what source do lawmakers derive legitimate authority? What principles should guide us in the design of political institutions? These essays explore how these questions were addressed by ancient political thinkers.

The essays in this volume, first published in 2000, explore questions about democracy that are relevant to political philosophy and political theory, ranging from examining the difficulties involved in determining and carrying out the will of the people to considering the suitability of democracy as a form of government in non-Western societies.

The essays in this volume offer important insights into the nature of human flourishing, its place in moral theory, and the influence of ancient theorists on the views of contemporary philosophers.

In much of contemporary moral philosophy, concern for one's own interests is considered a non-moral issue, while concern for the interests of others is paradigmatically moral. These essays examine the nature of self-interest and the relationship between rationality and morality.

These essays address some of the most intriguing questions raised by natural law theory and its implications for law, morality, and public policy.

Freedom of expression will encounter new and continuing controversies in the twenty-first century. The twelve legal scholars and philosophers whose work appears in this volume examine the history of free speech doctrine, its relevance to other social and personal values, and the radical critiques it has withstood in recent years.

Autonomy is often recognized as a central value in moral and political philosophy, but there are fundamental disagreements over how autonomy should be understood, what it implies for public policy and even whether the concept itself is theoretically defensible.

A focus on issues including: the responsibilities of researchers to subjects in clinical trials; proper criteria for determining when a living organism dies; allocation of scarce, life-saving medical resources; subsidization of pharmaceutical products for those who may miss out on the benefits modern medicine has brought.

This collection of essays is dedicated to the memory of the philosopher Robert Nozick. The publication of Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia revived serious interest in natural rights liberalism. Some of our contributors critique Nozick's political philosophy, while others examine earlier figures in the liberal tradition, most notably John Locke.

Twelve philosophers, historians and political philosophers assess aspects of socialism. Some consider what made the socialist project seem compelling to its advocates. Others evaluate whether there are aspects of socialism that ought to be preserved. Several others argue for the continuing validity of socialism in its social democratic incarnation.

Essays in this volume address some questions involved in the search for moral knowledge. Questions include: upon what facts can morality be founded? Is morality objective or subjective? The essays also address the belief that moral utterances are expressions of feelings rather than claims known to be true or false?