Value Incommensurability

Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 78:221-232 (2004)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In this paper I consider the challenge to rational choice posed by the problem of value incommensurability, and argue that incommensurabilists misrepresentour position as practical reasoners. In essence, I claim that reason has considerably more to work with than their arguments suggest, and that as a result it is possible for us to compare even the deepest values. To say that it is possible for us to compare values is not to say that it is always easy, however, or that thequestion of how best to characterize the common measure that allows for these comparisons isn’t open to vigorous dispute. But I argue that it is one thing to saythat the measure is obscure or that it guides us only imprecisely—and quite another to claim that it is conceptually impossible to weigh the deep values in lightof a common standard.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Implications of Incommensurability.Philip Kitcher - 1982 - PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1982:689 - 703.
The impossibility of incommensurable values.Chris Kelly - 2008 - Philosophical Studies 137 (3):369 - 382.
On modelling vagueness—and on not modelling incommensurability.Robert Sugden - 2009 - Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume 83 (1):95-113.
The Main Argument for Value Incommensurability (and Why It Fails).Stephen Ellis - 2010 - Southern Journal of Philosophy 46 (1):27-43.
Taxonomic incommensurability.Howard Sankey - 1998 - International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 12 (1):7 – 16.

Analytics

Added to PP
2011-12-01

Downloads
31 (#445,254)

6 months
1 (#1,040,386)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references