Moral Conflicts: What They Are and What They Show

In Plural and conflicting values. New York: Oxford University Press (1989)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Philosophers commonly argue that conflicts of values are deeply problematic for ethical theories in so far as they force the theories into impracticality, incompleteness, or irrealism. To be complete, a theory must tell us in every case what must be done. To be practical, it must never tell us to do what is impossible. As conflict seems to involve just these features, some philosophers argue from the fact that avoiding conflict is impossible to the conclusion that ethical theories must either be silent in some cases or that it requires us to do both of the jointly impossible acts. Others seek to explain the conflict away as merely apparent. Against these views, it is argued that mere incompossibility does not make for a conflict. All choice involves incompossibility, but not all choice involves conflict. Conflict must be understood in terms of what is conflicting. Understanding this requires seeing that many act evaluations are not action‐guiding.

Other Versions

original Stocker, Michael (1987) "Moral Conflicts: What They Are and What They Show". Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 68(2):104-123

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 102,020

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

Moral Conflicts: What They Are and What They Show.Michael Stocker - 1987 - Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 68 (2):104-123.
Moral Conflicts and Moral Psychology.Alastair James Norcross - 1991 - Dissertation, Syracuse University
Ethical Idealism. [REVIEW]Errol E. Harris - 1992 - Idealistic Studies 22 (3):258-260.
Hard Choices: Decision Making Under Unresolved Conflict.Isaac Levi - 1986 - New York: Cambridge University Press.
Moral Immorality.Michael Stocker - 1989 - In Plural and conflicting values. New York: Oxford University Press.
Reasoning with moral conflicts.John F. Horty - 2003 - Noûs 37 (4):557–605.
Plural and conflicting values.Michael Stocker - 1989 - New York: Oxford University Press.

Analytics

Added to PP
2016-10-25

Downloads
10 (#1,485,548)

6 months
7 (#764,599)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Citations of this work

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references