Toward a Pragmatist Metaethics / Edition 1

by Diana Heney

Overview

This book argues that classical pragmatism offers a compelling and useful account of our engagement with moral life. The key arguments are first, that a broader reading of the pragmatist tradition than is usually attempted in the context of ethical theory is necessary; and second, that this broad reading offers resources that enable us to move forward in contemporary debates about truth and principles in moral life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138189492
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/31/2016
Series:	Routledge Studies in American Philosophy
Pages:	180
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Diana B. Heney is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Fordham University. She works in the history of American pragmatism, metaethics, and bioethics. Recent publications include ‘Reality as Necessary Friction’ in The Journal of Philosophy and ‘Practitioner Narrative Competence in Mental Health Care’ in Philosophy, Psychiatry & Psychology.

Table of Contents

Preface: Historical Orientation, Pressing Problems

Part I: Ethics & Experience in Early American Pragmatism

1. Charles Sanders Peirce: The Roots of Pragmatist Ethics

2. William James: Radical Empiricist, Moral Philosopher

3. John Dewey: Champion of Inquiry

4. Clarence Irving Lewis: The Bridge to Today’s Pragmatism

Part II: Pragmatism & Problems in Contemporary Metaethics

5. A Pragmatist View of Truth in Moral Inquiry

6. A Pragmatist View of Principles in Moral Inquiry

7. Making Metaethics Matter

Editorial Reviews

"Heney's application of Peircian ideas to the contemporary scene in meta-ethics is very valuable...Heney shows how pragmatism can offer compelling versions of both a cognitivist affirmation of the truth aptness of moral judgments and a generalist support for the role of principles in moral deliberation."—Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"This is an important book both for its technical discussions and for its practical relevance in a time when the very concept of ‘truth’ seems to have disappeared." – Jerome A. Stone in American Journal of Theology and Philosophy

From the Publisher