Political Problems / Edition 1

by Steven M. Cahn

Overview

This anthology is intended to be used in Political Philosophy courses. It focuses on contemporary political problems, and it is intended to be paired with any of the numerous readers which are dedicated to the history of political philosophy. History, theory, and political problems are the three pillars of the political philosophy course. However, while the anthologies on the history of political philosophy are numerous, there are relatively few sources (and even fewer single sources) that focus on contemporary political problems. This book fills that gap, with the leading contemporary positions on school vouchers, government support for the arts, pornography, same sex marriage, drug legalization, gun control, terrorism, torture, capital punishment, affirmative action, Immigration, and the environment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780205642472
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	02/05/2010
Series:	MySearchLab Series for Philosophy Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Steven Cahn is currently a full professor at the graduate School and University Center at the City University of New York. Robert Talisse is currently an associate professor of philosphy and political science at Vanderbilt University.

Table of Contents

About the Authors ix

Preface xiii

Section 1 School Vouchers 1

Reading 1 Joseph S. Spoerl, "Justice and the Case for School Vouchers." Public Affairs Quarterly, Vol. 9, No. 1 (January 1995): 2-14 Joseph S. Spoerl 2

Reading 2 Jeffrey R. Henig, "Rethinking School Choice," From Henig, Rethinking School Choice (Princeton University Press, 1994): 21-29 Jeffrey R. Henig 12

Section 2 Government Support for the Arts 19

Reading 3 Ronald Dworkin, "Can a Liberal State Support Art?" From Ronald Dworkin, A Matter of Principle (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985): 221-233 Ronald Dworkin 20

Reading 4 No?l Carroll, "Can Government Funding of the Arts be Justified Theoretically?" Journal of Aesthetic Education, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Spring 1987): 21-50 No?l Carroll 31

Section 3 Pornography 43

Reading 5 Helen E. Longino, "Pornography, Oppression, and Freedom: A Closer Look," Laura Lederer, Ed., Take Back the Night (William Morrow & Co., 1980) Helen E. Longino 44

Reading 6 Joel Feinberg, "The Feminist Case Against Pornography" from Feinberg, Offense to Others (Oxford University Press, 1985) Joel Feinberg 54

Section 4 Same-Sex Marriage 67

Reading 7 Ralph Wedgwood, "Same-Sex Marriage: A Philosophical Defense," R. Baker, K. Wininger, and F. Elliston, Eds., Philosophy and Sex, 3/E (Prometheus Books, 1998): 212-230 Ralph Wedgwood 68

Reading 8 Jeffrey Jordan, "Is It Wrong to Discriminate on the Basis of Homosexuality?" Journal of Social Philosophy, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Spring 1995): 39-52 Jeffrey Jordan 85

Section 5 Drug Legalization 95

Reading 9 Douglas N. Husak, "Liberal Neutrality and Drug Prohibitions," Ethics, Vol. 110 (2000) Douglas N. Husak 96

Reading 10 Samuel Freeman, "Liberalism and Rights of Drug Use," Pablo DcGrieff, Ed., Drugs and the Limits of Liberalism (Cornell University Press, 1999): 110-130 Samuel Freeman 110

Section 6 Gun Control 119

Reading 11 Todd C. Hughes and Lester H. Hunt, "The Liberal Basis of the Right to Bear Arms," Public Affairs Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 1 (2000): 1-25 Todd C. Hughes Lester H. Hunt 120

Reading 12 Hugh LaFollette, "Gun Control," Ethics, Vol. 110 (2000): 263-281 Hugh LaFollette 139

Section 7 Terrorism 153

Reading 13 Michael Walzer, "Terrorism: A Critique of Excuses," Steven Luper-Foy, Ed., Problems of International Justice (Westview Press, 1988) Michael Walzer 154

Reading 14 Lionel K. McPherson, "Is Terrorism Distinctively Wrong?" Ethics 117 (April 2007): 524-546 Lionel K. McPherson 160

Section 8 Torture 179

Reading 15 Henry Shue, "Torture," Philosophy and Public Affairs 1 (Winter, 1978): 124-143 Henry Shue 180

Reading 16 Daniel J. Hill, "Ticking Bombs, Torture, and the Analogy with Self-Defense," American Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 4 (2007): 395-404 Daniel J. Hill 193

Section 9 Capital Punishment 203

Reading 17 Ernest van den Haag, "In Defense of the Death Penalty," Criminal Law Bulletin, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1978): 51-68 Ernest van den Haag 204

Reading 18 Hugo Adam Bedau, "Capital Punishment," Tom Regan, Ed., Matters of Life and Death (McGraw-Hill, 1993) Hugo Adam Bedau 212

Section 10 Affirmative Action 225

Reading 19 Steven M. Cahn,"Two Concepts of Affirmative Action," Academe, Vol. 83 (1997) Steven M. Cahn 226

Reading 20 Tom L. Beauchamp, "In Favor of Affirmative Action," Journal of Ethics 2 (1998): 143-158 Tom L. Beauchamp 234

Section 11 Immigration 247

Reading 21 Michael Walzer, "The Distribution of Membership," Peter Brown and Henry Shue, Eds., Boundaries: National Autonomy and Its Limits (Rowman and Littlefield, 1981): 1-36 Michael Walzer 248

Reading 22 Joseph H. Carens, "Migration and Morality: A Liberal Egalitarian Perspective," Brian Barry and Robert Goodin, Eds., Free Movement (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1992): 25-47 Joseph H. Carens 266

Section 12 The Environment 285

Reading 23 William F. Baxter, "People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution," from Baxter, People or Penguins (Columbia University Press, 1974) William F. Baxter 286

Reading 24 Thomas E. Hill, Jr., "Ideals of Human Excellence and Preserving Natural Environments," Environmental Ethics 5 (1983): 211-224 Thomas E. Hill Jr. 291

Credits 303