Autonomy and Self-Respect

This stimulating collection of essays in ethics eschews the simple exposition and refinement of abstract theories. Rather, the author focuses on everyday moral issues, often neglected by philosophers, and explores the deeper theoretical questions which they raise. Such issues are: Is it wrong to tell a lie to protect someone from a painful truth? Should one commit a lesser evil to prevent another from doing something worse? Can one be both autonomous and compassionate? Other topics discussed are servility, weakness of will, suicide, obligations to oneself, snobbery, and enviornmental concerns. A feature of the collection is the contrast of Kantian and utilitarian answers to these problems. The essays are crisply and lucidly written and will appeal to both teachers and students of philosophy.

Sources and acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Servility and self-respect; 2. Self-respect reconsidered; 3. Autonomy and benevolent lies; 4. The importance of autonomy; 5. Symbolic protest and calculated silence; 6. Moral purity and the lesser evil; 7. Self-regarding suicide: a modified Kantian view; 8. Ideals of human excellence and preserving natural environments; 9. Weakness of will and character; 10. Promises to oneself; 11. Social snobbery and human dignity; 12. Pains and projects: justifying to oneself; 13. The message of affirmative action; Index.

‘The book would be an invaluable accompaniment to Kant’s own texts in a Kant’s ethics course and it would make a much more interesting main text than one can usually get in a practical ethics course.’

– Christine Korsgaard, University of Chicago