R. M. Hare writes in his Preface: 'I offer this taxonomy of ethical theories to all those who are lost in the moral maze, including many of my philosophical colleagues. They are lost because, like most of those who hold forth on moral questions in the media, they have no map of the maze. This is has been my aim to provide.' Sorting Out Ethics is a characteristically lucid and lively survey of rival ethical theories by one of the most (...) influential moral philosophers of the century. It also constitutes a definitive summary of Hare's own fundamental ethical position. (shrink)
R. M. Hare has brought together in this volume the best of his uncollected essays in moral philosophy, several of them previously unpublished or revised for this collection. They span the whole range of his ethical interests, from the most abstract to the most down-to-earth. The volume provides a compelling demonstration of Hare's commitment to bringing together the theoretical and the practical in ethics.
R. M. Hare, one of the most widely discussed of today's moral philosophers, here presents his most important essays on religion and education, in which he brings together the theoretical and the practical. The book opens with an exposition of his ideas on the meaning of religious language. There follow several essays, theoretical and practical, on the relations between religion and morality, which have deep implications for moral education. The central question addressed in the rest of the volume is how (...) children can be educated to think for themselves, freely but rationally, about moral questions; and Professor Hare examines the effects on society of failure to achieve this. He argues that those who want to dispense with morality are in effect resigning from a vital educational task. Attitudes to euthanasia and to equality of educational opportunity are taken as examples of how our thinking can go wrong. -/- 'The former Professor of Moral Philosophy at Oxford . . . has brought together a collection of papers exploring, with his customary clarity of thought and elegance of expression, the light which moral philosophy can shed on certain religious and educational questions . . . it is illuminating to follow an eminent philosopher at work on matters of great practical importance, and in prodding theologians to think more clearly.' Church Times -/- '[a] cogent and compelling vision, enunciated with all the intelligence, elegance and vigour for which Hare is justly renowned' Times Literary Supplement -/- 'All the essays are a delight to read: clear, succinct, precisely expressed, and devoid of technical jargon. The collection will be welcomed by philosophers of education.' Theology -/- 'an important resource for persons interested in clarifying the language of moral education in a religiously pluralist society' Religious Studies Review -/- 'admirably clear and straightforward' IJournal of the American Academy of Religion -/- 'It is . . . a pleasure to receive for review a book by someone who is palpably expert in a particular discipline, and able to deploy that discipine on topics which have a demonstrably practical relevance to education. Most books satisfy neither criterion; this one satisfies both. Add Hare's well-known clarity of style and presentation, and we have something really worth reading.' Oxford Review of Education. (shrink)
R.M. Hare is well known both for his fundamental work in ethical theory and for his applications of it to practical issues. For this volume he has selected the best of his writings on medical ethics and related topics. The book's chief theoretical interest lies in its synthesis between utilitarian and Kantian ethics, which are shown to have the same practical consequences. The main practical thesis in the book is that we can harm possible people by preventing them from becoming (...) actual people. This thesis, if understood and accepted, would radically alter the terms of the public debate about embryo experimentation and population policy, and (perhaps surprisingly) support a fairly liberal view on abortion. There are also general introductions to medical and psychiatric ethics, and essays on the concept of health, on the morality of experimentation on children, on health care policy, on free will, and on vegetarianism. (shrink)
R.M. Hare is one of the most widely discussed of today's moral philosophers. In this volume he has collected a number of essays, including one which is previously unpublished, which fill in the theoretical background of his thought. Each essay is self-contained, but together they give a connected picture of his views on such questions as the objectivity and rationality of moral thinking, the issue between the ethical realists and their opponents, the place in our moral thought of appeals to (...) common convictions, and how to tell whether a feature of a situation is morally relevant. (shrink)
These essays, all written within the last decade, represent Hare's thinking on a range of contemporary issues in political morality, including political obligation, terrorism, morality and war, rights, quality, and the environment. Three of the essays are previously unpublished.
R. M. Hare (1987). Why Moral Language? In J. J. C. Smart, Philip Pettit, Richard Sylvan & Jean Norman (eds.), Metaphysics and Morality: Essays in Honour of J.J.C. Smart. B. Blackwell.
R. M. Hare (1982). Plato. In R. M. Hare, Jonathan Barnes & Henry Chadwick (eds.), Founders of Thought. Oxford University Press.
The earliest philosopher whose work has survived extensively, Plato remains the starting-point in the study of logic, metaphysics, and moral and political philosophy. R.M. Hare provides a concise, well-connected introduction to Plato's dialogues, focusing on the central problems which led Plato to become a philosopher. He describes these problems and Plato's solutions with great clarity, and sets them in the context of Plato's life and times, and his place in the history of philosophy.
Founders of Thought offers introductions to three of the most influential intellects of classical antiquity: Plato, whose dialogues form the basis of the study of logic, metaphysics, and moral and political philosophy; Aristotle, polymath, tutor of Alexander the Great and "master of those who know"; and Augustine, the Christian convert who asked God to make him good, "but not yet." Brief, accessible, and written by outstanding scholars, these studies offer readers an introduction to the ideas and achievements of the thinkers (...) whose works are essential to a full understanding of western thought and culture. (shrink)
In this work, the author has fashioned out of the logical and linguistic theses of his earlier books a full-scale but readily intelligible account of moral argument.
Preface In this third volume of my collected papers I have included all but one of my main contributions, apart from my books The Language of Morals and ...
Broad's Approach to Moral Philosophy When, as a student beginning moral philosophy, I first read Five Types of Ethical Theory (then as now one of the ...
I Imperative Sentences It has often been taken for granted by logicians that there is a class of sentences which is the proper subject-matter of logic, ...
Part I Describing and Prescribing He to whom thou was sent for ease, being by name Legality, is the son of the Bond-woman . . . how canst thou expect by ...
