Kant and Applied Ethics - by Matthew C Altman Hardcover

Book Synopsis

Kant and Applied Ethics makes an important contribution to Kant scholarship, illuminating the vital moral parameters of key ethical debates.

• Offers a critical analysis of Kant's ethics, interrogating the theoretical bases of his theory and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses
• Examines the controversies surrounding the most important ethical discussions taking place today, including abortion, the death penalty, and same-sex marriage
• Joins innovative thinkers in contemporary Kantian scholarship, including Christine Korsgaard, Allen Wood, and Barbara Herman, in taking Kant's philosophy in new and interesting directions
• Clarifies Kant's legacy for applied ethics, helping us to understand how these debates have been structured historically and providing us with the philosophical tools to address them

From the Back Cover

KANT AND APPLIED ETHICS

For better or worse, Immanuel Kant casts a long shadow over contemporary western thought. The philosophical and historical importance of Kant's ethics can hardly be overestimated, yet his legacy for the wide variety of issues in applied ethics has still not been fully and fairly appreciated.

In Kant and Applied Ethics, Matthew C. Altman takes a comprehensive look at Kant's moral philosophy as it relates to the most consequential ethical discussions of our time, including same-sex marriage, corporate responsibility, physician-assisted suicide, health-care allocation, and abortion. This book explains how, by coming to grips with Kant's legacy, we can begin to work through these debates more productively.

Altman addresses both the strengths and weaknesses of Kant's ethics, demonstrating the value of his approach for making informed judgments - Kant's emphasis on freedom, dignity, and mutual respect is particularly compelling - while identifying the ways in which Kantian presuppositions lead us astray or restrict our vision.

Kant and Applied Ethics not only makes a significant contribution to Kant scholarship, but also illuminates the moral parameters of some of our thorniest social and political controversies.

Review Quotes

"This is a competent, clear, and evenhanded assessment of the relevance of Kant's thought for current moral debates. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty." (Choice, 1 October 2012)

"Kant and Applied Ethics is a stimulating attempt to assess the relevance of Kantian theory for contemporary moral problems. Kantian moral philosophers will find much to disagree with, but there is no doubt that the book raises important puzzles for Kantian moral theory. Those unpersuaded by Kantian theory may find ammunition to use against Kantianism. Those who wish to defend Kant's theory may find a helpful formulation of some serious challenges to Kant's moral philosophy." (Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, 30 June 2012)

About the Author

MATTHEW C. ALTMAN
The author is an assistant professor of philosophy and director of the William O. Douglas Honors College at Central Washington University. He is the author of A Companion to Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" (2008) as well as many articles in ethics, applied ethics, social/political philosophy, and the history of philosophy.