1st Edition

Public Reason and Applied Ethics The Ways of Practical Reason in a Pluralist Society

    204 Pages
    by Routledge

    204 Pages
    by Routledge

    Examining the theoretical and empirical status of applied ethics, this volume demonstrates how a pluralistic and democratic society can deal with ethical issues in the light of its moral conscience. The volume first sets the stage for a conception of applied ethics as applications of transnational civil ethics, based both on a discourse theory of knowledge (Apel, Habermas), and on an activities and capabilities approach (Aristotle, Sen). It then examines how applied ethics relates to important theoretical discussions in philosophy such as constructivism, virtue ethics, hermeneutic and deliberative theory. The contributors discuss applied ethics in light of globalization and identify recurring dilemmas as well as the problem of universal norms. They close by considering two aspects of the institutional point of view - republicanism, and contractarianism and constitutional economics.

    Contents: Introduction; Part 1 The Public Task of Applied Ethics: The public task of applied ethics: transnational civil ethics, Adela Cortina. Part 2 The Status of Applied Ethics: Self-enlightenment of applied ethics, Kurt Bayertz; Does applied ethics rest on a mistake?, Alasdair MacIntyre; Applied ethics and moral knowledge, Augusto Hortal; The hermeneutical and deliberative nature of applied ethics, Jesús Conill. Part 3 Applied Ethics in the Light of Globalisation: 3 dilemmas of applied ethics, Matthias Kettner; Responsibility for praxis: discourse ethics as applied ethics, Domingo García-Marzá; Globalisation and the need for universal ethics, Karl-Otto Apel. Part 4 Public Reason and Applied Ethics: Political Views: The domination complaint, Philip Pettit; Public reason and order ethics: a critical assessment, Christoph Luetge; Index.

    Biography

    Adela Cortina, Department of Philosophy, University of Valencia, Spain, Domingo García-Marzá, University of Castellón, Spain and Jesús Conill, Professor for Ethics and Political Philosophy, University of Valencia, Spain.

    'The editors of this volume should be praised for a variety of reasons. First, for having assembled a set of contributions - themselves of a pluralist character combining both theory and application - that represent an important addition to the flourishing literature on practical reason in the era of globalization. Second, for the spirit in which the eleven chapters have been written - the spirit of scholarship of engagement for which moral commitment and cognitive interest are intertwined and mutually combine. In a world of morally pluralist societies this is no minor virtue.' Stefano Zamagni, University of Bologna, Italy 'This volume takes up the urgent, though widely ignored challenge of clarifying the nature of applied ethics and ventures into a novel foundation that seriously deals with moral pluralism and globalization. It provides a firm philosophical ground for all those who are concerned with and are working in applied ethics.' Georges Enderle, University of Notre Dame, USA