Moral Principles and Political Obligations

by A. John Simmons

Overview

Outlining the major competing theories in the history of political and moral philosophy--from Locke and Hume through Hart, Rawls, and Nozick--John Simmons attempts to understand and solve the ancient problem of political obligation. Under what conditions and for what reasons (if any), he asks, are we morally bound to obey the law and support the political institutions of our countries?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691213248
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	282 KB

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
	Introduction	3
Chapter I.	Obligations	7
I.i.	Obligations and Final Judgments	7
I.ii.	Obligation and Duty	11
I.iii.	Positional Duties and Moral Requirements	16
I.iv.	"Prima Facie" Requirements	24
Chapter II.	The Problem of Political Obligation	29
II.i.	The Limits of the Investigation	29
II.ii.	Political Obligation and Political Language	38
II.iii.	Utilitarianism and Political Obligation	45
II.iv.	The Standards of Success	54
Chapter III.	The Consent Tradition	57
III.i.	Consent Theory	57
III.ii.	The Major Assumptions	61
III.iii.	Majority Consent	71
Chapter IV.	The Argument from Tacit Consent	75
IV.i.	Consent Defined	75
IV.ii.	Tacit Consent	79
IV.iii.	Locke and the Failure of Tacit Consent	83
IV.iv.	Tacit Consent and Residence	95
Chapter V.	The Principle of Fair Play	101
V.i.	Hart and Rawls on Fair Play	101
V.ii.	Fair Play and Justice	109
V.iii.	Fair Play and Political Obligation	114
V.iv.	Nozick's Arguments	118
V.v.	The Principle in Political Communities	136
Chapter VI.	The Natural Duty of Justice	143
VI.i.	Rawls on Political Obligation	143
VI.ii.	When Institutions "Apply to Us"	147
VI.iii.	Justice and Political Bonds	152
Chapter VII.	Gratitude	157
VII.i.	The Benefits of Government	157
VII.ii.	Debts of Gratitude	163
VII.iii.	Gratitude as a Ground of Political Obligation	183
Chapter VIII.	Concluding Remarks	191
VIII.i.	Political Obligation and Disobedience	191
VIII.ii.	Political Obligation and Legitimacy	195
	Notes	202
	Bibliography	219
	Index	229

What People are Saying About This

Joel Feinberg

The clearest and most up-to-date organization of the problem and its various possible solutions, and a quite original solution of its own. Every political theorist will need this book . . . . It is more 'important' than 90% of the work published in philosophy.
— Joel Feinberg, University of Arizona

From the Publisher

"The clearest and most up-to-date organization of the problem and its various possible solutions, and a quite original solution of its own. Every political theorist will need this book . . . . It is more 'important' than 90% of the work published in philosophy."—Joel Feinberg, University of Arizona

Editorial Reviews

"This devastating book asks why citizens should feel obligated to participate in the political order and be responsive to its demands. Simmons lines up theorists like targets and bops one after another. 'Fair Play', 'Tacit Consent', 'Natural Duty of Justice' are all in trouble, whether offered by Rawls or Nozick or anyone else. That does not mean that Virginia Professor Simmons opts for the jungle; he simply has left few grounds for political obligations and suggests that somehow people will have to salvage some moral obligations instead. An astute work of demythologization and demolition."

The Christian Century

"The clearest and most up-to-date organization of the problem and its various possible solutions, and a quite original solution of its own. Every political theorist will need this book . . . . It is more 'important' than 90% of the work published in philosophy."—Joel Feinberg, University of Arizona

From the Publisher