Gewirth: Critical Essays on Action, Rationality, and Community

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Michael Boylan
Rowman & Littlefield, 1999 - Philosophy - 222 pages
As one of the most important ethicists to emerge since the Second World War, Alan Gewirth continues to influence philosophical debates concerning morality. In this ground-breaking book, Gewirth's neo-Kantianism, and the communitarian problems discussed, form a dialogue on the foundation of moral theory. Themes of agent-centered constraints, the formal structure of theories, and the relationship between freedom and duty are examined along with such new perspectives as feminism, the Stoics, and Sartre. Gewirth offers a picture of the philosopher's theory and its applications, providing a richer, more complete critical assessement than any which has occurred to date.
 

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Contents

The Normative Structure of Action
13
Gewirth and Held on Action and Methodology A Response to Virginia Helds The Normative Import of Action
29
Anticipating Gewirth A Critical Disagreement
35
Values and Ends Comments on Michael Slote Anticipating Gewirth
39
Gewirth on Necessary Goods What is the Agent Committed to Valuing?
45
Liberal Agency is Open for Business A Response to Donald Regans Gewirth on Necessary Goods What is an Agent Committed to Valuing?
71
Gewirth and Kantianism
75
Confronting Moral Theories Gewirth in Context
91
Gewirths Kantian Consequentialism
125
The Problem with Simply Promoting Agency Comment on Cummiskey
141
Community Rationality and Rights
145
The Existence and Universality of Gewirthian Moral Rights Comment on Beth J Singers Community Mutuality and Rights
155
Building on Gewirth A Defence of Morality
159
Gewirth Sterba and the Justification of Morality
183
Comments by Gewirth Chapter Seventeen Replies to My Colleagues
191
Bibliography
215

Gewirth and Kant on Justifying the Supreme Principle of Morality
97
A Commentary on Deryck Beylevelds Gewirth and Kant on Justifying the Supreme Principle of Morality
119
About the Contributors
221
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About the author (1999)

Michael Boylan is professor of philosophy at Marymount University.