The Limits of Morality.

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Against Ordinary Morality -- Dramatis Personae -- Moral Methodology -- Promoting the Good -- Resisting Options to Do Harm -- Constraints -- The Two-level Conception of Morality -- Contracts -- Promissory Notes -- 2. The Structure of Ordinary Morality -- The Existence of the Pro Tanto Reason -- The Concept of the Good -- Moral Requirement -- Ordinary Morality -- The Neutrality of the Framework -- 3. Doing Harm -- Drawing the Line -- Paralysis -- Interfering -- Difficult Cases -- Aid -- The Relevance of the Distinction -- Three Mysteries -- 4. Intending Harm -- Harm Intended as Means -- Self-defense -- Shields -- Permission -- Due Proportion -- Relevance Again -- More Mysteries -- 5. Without Constraints -- Abandoning the Constraint -- The Neo-moderate -- Avoiding the Constraint -- Avoiding the Distinction -- 6. Avoiding the Appeal -- Granting Constraints -- The Self-constraint Argument -- Rights -- The Elements of Rights -- Positive Rights -- 7. The Appeal to Cost -- The Advantages of the Appeal -- The Sacrifice of Interests -- Other Options -- The Neighborhood of the Account -- The Personal Point of View -- Reflecting the Nature of Persons -- 8. The Negative Argument -- Two Attitudes about the Nature of Persons -- Prudence -- Vivid Belief -- Others -- Hypothetical Judges -- Abandoning Universality -- The Core of the Bias -- Overcoming the Bias -- 9. The Positive Argument -- Endorsing the Subjective Standpoint -- The Patient's Point of View -- Grounding Constraints -- The Moral Point of View -- Merits of the Subjective -- Avoiding Moral Decisiveness -- Noninsistent Reasons -- The Defense of Options -- 10. Extraordinary Morality -- The Value of Being Moral -- Political and Social Structures -- Freedom -- The Demands of Morality -- References -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I.

J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Z.

Most of us believe that there are limits to the sacrifices that morality can demand of us. We also think that certain types of acts are simply forbidden, even when necessary for promoting the overall good. Here Kagan argues that attempts to defend these sorts of moral limit are inadequate. In thus rejecting two of the most fundamental features of commonsense morality, the book offers a sustained attack on our ordinary moral views.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.