Actual Ethics

Actual Ethics offers a moral defense of the classical liberal political tradition and applies it to several of today’s vexing moral and political issues. James Otteson argues that a Kantian conception of personhood and an Aristotelian conception of judgment are compatible and even complementary. He shows why they are morally attractive, and perhaps most controversially, when combined, they imply a limited, classical liberal political state. Otteson then addresses several contemporary problems - wealth and poverty, public education, animal welfare, and affirmative action - and shows how each can be plausibly addressed within the Kantian, Aristotelian and classical liberal framework. Written in clear, engaging, and jargon-free prose, Actual Ethics will give students and general audiences an overview of a powerful and rich moral and political tradition that they might not otherwise consider.

• Only ‘applied ethics’ book on the market today that is a genuine alternative to Peter Singer’s Practical Ethics • Lively and provocative writing style makes the book accessible to students and intelligent laymen, not just specialists • Its defense of a ‘classical liberal’ moral and political position fills a need in political philosophy, ethics, applied ethics, and business ethics

Working out the position; 1. Personhood and judgment; 2. A matter of principle, Part I. The betrayal of personhood; 3. A matter of principle, Part II. Personhood writ large; 4. The demands of poverty; 5. The wealth of nations: applying the principles; 6. Schooling, religion, and other things you should be in charge of; 7. Moral hobgoblins: inclusion and exclusion; 8. More moral hobgoblins: extending rights; The end; 9. What is good for the goose.