Contemporary Debates in Moral Theory

Contemporary Debates in Moral Theory features pairs of newly commissioned essays by some of the leading theorists working in the field today. Brings together fresh debates on the most controversial issues in moral theory Questions include: Are moral requirements derived from reason? How demanding is morality? Are virtues the proper starting point for moral theorizing? Lively debate format sharply defines the issues, and paves the way for further discussion. Will serve as an accessible introduction to the major topics in contemporary moral theory, while also capturing the imagination of professional philosophers.

Notes on Contributors vii Introduction x James Dreier Part I Normative Theory 1 Is the Rightness of Action Determined by the Value of Consequences? 3 1 The Consequentialist Perspective 5 William Shaw 2 Against Maximizing Act Consequentialism 21 Peter Vallentyne 3 Reasons Without Demands: Rethinking Rightness 38 Alastair Norcross Can Contract Theory Ground Morality? 55 4 Moral Contractarianism as a Foundation for Interpersonal Morality 57 Samuel Freeman 5 Can Contract Theory Ground Morality? 77 Philip Pettit Are the Virtues the Proper Starting Point for Ethical Theory? 97 6 Are Virtues the Proper Starting Point for Morality? 99 Rosalind Hursthouse 7 Virtue Theory Julia Driver 113 Part II Reason And Motivation 125 Are Moral Requirements Derived from Reason? 127 8 Reason, Sentiment, and Categorical Imperatives 129 Samuel J. Kerstein 9 Must We Weep for Sentimentalism? 144 Simon Blackburn Is Motivation Internal to Moral Judgment? 161 10 How Do Moral Judgments Motivate? 163 Sigrún Svavarsdóttir 11 Moral Motivation 182 R. Jay Wallace Part III Moral Facts And Explanations 197 Is Morality Fully Factual? 199 12 Moral Factualism 201 Peter Railton 13 Morality Without Moral Facts 220 Terry Horgan and Mark Timmons Do Moral Facts and Properties Explain Anything? 239 14 Moral Explanations Defended 241 Nicholas L. Sturgeon 15 Moral Epistemology and the Because Constraint 263 Nick Zangwill Are There General Moral Principles? 283 16 Ethical Generality and Moral Judgment 285 Robert Audi 17 Defending Moral Particularism 305 Mark Norris Lance and Margaret Olivia Little Index of Subjects 323 Index of Names 330