In this paper, the author criticises some basic assumptions of Ferrara's book, which deal with: a) the concept of the so-called 'fact of pluralism'; b) the idea of linguistical turn; c) some of Ferrara's episodical but significant remarks on strategic rationality; d) the role of experts in sciences.

The aim of this paper is to focus on the role of fairness within an apparently secondary passage of Rawls’ A Theory of Justice, in order to show that it is necessary to the impartial construction of perfect procedural justice.

: In this paper I offer some criticisms of Jonathan Dancy’s moral particularism. In Dancy’s version moral particularism states that there are neither general nor universal moral principles, that moral action is not the application of principles to particular cases, that moral reasoning has no motivational force because it deduces what must be done by moral principles, and that the agent who acts morally is not a person who has moral principles. However, Dancy’s proposal fails to explain the regularity of (...) moral behavior and the function of stability that moral agents and moral psychology play within social cooperation, nor is it able to explain the possibility of moral progress. Keywords: Jonathan Dancy; Moral Progress; Moral Psychology; Principles; Cooperation La mente morale particolarista Riassunto: In questo articolo espongo alcune critiche al particolarismo morale di Jonathan Dancy. Nella versione di Dancy il particolarismo morale afferma che non ci sono né principi morali generali né universali, che l’azione morale non è l’applicazione di principi a casi particolari, che il ragionamento morale non ha forza motivazionale perché deduce ciò che deve essere fatto dai principi morali, e che l’agente che agisce moralmente non è una persona che ha principi morali. Tuttavia, la proposta di Dancy non riesce a spiegare la regolarità del comportamento morale e la funzione di stabilità che gli agenti morali e la psicologia morale svolgono all’interno della cooperazione sociale, né è in grado di spiegare la possibilità del progresso morale. Parole chiave: Jonathan Dancy; Progresso morale; Psicologia morale; Principi; Cooperazione. (shrink)

This paper deals with the major concepts of Scanlon’s moral contractualism. It is possible to describe moral contractualism as the ability to identify priorities and moral reasons in deliberative action, that no one could reasonably reject. These capabilities require us to take into account the interests of others in our moral judgments. The result is that Scanlon overthrow the philosophy of Hobbes: morality is not originated from politics; on the contrary, politics is a function of morality. His answer to the (...) dilemma of Prichard is particularly persuasive, though the proof of the falsity of the skeptical position can only be dialectic and persuasive is its intellectualistic position on relations between reasons and desires, too. (shrink)

Expressionism, holism, and deflationism are central concepts in Blackburn quasi-realistic metaethics. The paper deals with these in order to evaluate the general tenability of Blackburn’s version of non-cognitivism.

The article focuses on the relations between passions and cognition in Hume’s philosophy. Although it is widely recognised that Hume attributed a central role to emotions in our natural structure, it is not frequently understood that in Hume’s conceptual framework passions themselves have a gnoseological content. In this paper some arguments are provided in order to show that this is the case.

The paper explores various conceptual formats that are designed to help us organize our thoughts concerning what we do, expecially personal identity, intertemporal preferences, and maximization. I discuss some suggestions from Parfit on personal identity and from Hare on interpersonal preference.

In this article I explore some consequences of the relations between technique, capitalism and radical liberation ideologies. My thesis is that the latter are going to rise to the extent that wage labor will become a scarce commodity. Through total automation, however, what may occur will not be the end of the reign of scarcity, but a new oppressive order.

The paper is devoted to a discussion of Rorty’s Truth and Progress. Some Rorty’s core ideas are discussed: ethnocentrism, pragmatism, liberalism, cultural differences, darwinism, feminism. The conclusion is that his idea of moral judgment as expression of our ethnocentrism does not allow a rational defence of liberal societies.

After recalling the Lockean doctrine of tacit consent and Hume’s criticisms to contractualistic theories, I propose a method for the selection of rulers.

The paper deals with the received view, shared by many social scientists, of expected utility theory as a descriptive and prescriptive vision both of right action and of right procedure of thought. It states that in the classical formulation of the theory there are scarce hints for such a monistic interpretation, which does not pay justice to the pluralistic reality of the reason for action.

In this paper I offer some observations on the liberalism of Ackerman andI interpret it as a mixed method of solution of the problems of rivalness of goods by means of a set of dialogical norms.

Hobbesian spaces? In this article I explore some issues related to cyberwar and its implications for the extension of the Hobbesian paradigm of the state of nature to international relations with particular reference to cyberspace. My conclusion is that there are many reasons to believe that this explanatory paradigm should also apply in this area.

In this article I discuss some aspects of prima facie statements and compare them with some deductive properties of moral rules. The conclusion I draw is in the sense of a re-evaluation of some aspects of moral intuitionism, which seems essential to the concepts of moral imagination and moral education.

The article is a critical note of A. Lambertino's work, Valore e piacere. It focuses particularly on the chapters dedicated to Kant, Nietzsche, Freud and on the last chapter, which clearly expresses the author's point of view. The conclusion is that the ethical position presented by Lambertino corresponds to a moderate ethical intellectualism.