Morality and Self-Interest by Paul Bloomfield

Morality and Self-Interest by Paul Bloomfield

The relationship between morality and self-interest is a perennial one in philosophy, at the center of moral theory. It goes back to Plato's Republic, which debated whether living morally was in a person's best interest or simply for dupes. Hobbes also claimed that morality was not in the best interests of the individual; Kant, however, thought that morality ought to be followed anyway even if it was not in a person's interest. Aristotle, Hume, Machiavelli, and Nietzsche all had much to say on the subject, and contemporary philosophers like Thomas Nagel and David Gauthier discuss it a good deal as well. Little of the contemporary work has been published in book format however. Bloomfield's edited volume is the first such book truly devoted to this important topic, presenting brand new, commissioned articles on this subject by some of the top philosophers working today. Bloomfield provides an introduction to the topic and its place in philosophical history in his introduction. The volume will then be divided into three sections. The first will lay out the two sides of the debate; the second will cover views on morality as external to the self and thus not in our self-interest; and the third will focus on morality as intrinsic to the self and thus in our self-interest. Contributions includes newly published work by 13 top-notch philosophers, among them Thomas Nagel, Julia Annas, Samuel Scheffler, David Schmidtz, and Terence Irwin, as well as a previously published piece by W. D. Falk. The volume will act as a useful collection of scholarship by top figures, and as a resource and course book on an important topic.

informed scholarship and rich analyses of important issues.. Bloomfield is to be commended for putting together a fine collection. * John Lemos, Mind *

Paul Bloomfield is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut. He is the author of Moral Reality (OUP 2001) and editor of Morality and Self-Interest (OUP 2008).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780195305852
ISBN 10	019530585X
Title	Morality and Self-Interest
Author	Paul Bloomfield
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press Inc
Year published	2007-12-20
Number of pages	336
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.