Reasonableness and Fairness
Reasonableness and Fairness
We all know, or think we know, what it means to say that something is 'reasonable' or 'fair', but what exactly are these concepts and how have they evolved and changed over the course of history? In this book, Christopher McMahon explores reasonableness, fairness, and justice as central concepts of the morality of reciprocal concern. He argues that the basis of this morality evolves as history unfolds, so that forms of interaction that might have been morally acceptable in the past are judged unacceptable today. The first part of his study examines the notions of reasonableness and fairness as they are employed in ordinary practical thought, and the second part develops a constructivist theory to explain why and how this part of morality can undergo historical development without arriving at any final form. His book will interest scholars of ethics, political theory, and the history of ideas.
- Relates moral reasoning to its historical context
- Provides an account of reasonable disagreement, enabling readers to gain insight into the structure of moral, and especially political, disagreements
- Develops a meta-ethical theory that bridges the divide between realist views and anti-realist views
Product details
November 2016Hardback
9781107177178
264 pages
236 × 160 × 22 mm
0.53kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I. The Substance of Reciprocal Concern:
- 1. Fairness
- 2. Reasonableness
- 3. Political morality
- Part II. The History of Reciprocal Concern:
- 4. Proper functioning and practical judgement
- 5. A historical theory of reasons
- 6. Naturalism and moral history
- 7. The history of political morality
- References
- Index.
