A Wild West of the Mind

by George Sher

Overview

Can unexpressed thoughts be morally wrong? Are people subject to moral condemnation not only for their malicious, biased, and cruel actions, but also for their private malice, biased beliefs, and ugly fantasies? Although many would answer "yes," George Sher argues in A Wild West of the Mind that none of the main approaches to morality support this view and that to accept it would be to relinquish an essential aspect of our mental freedom. To preserve that freedom, we must allow our beliefs to follow the evidence wherever it leads and must give our private feelings, attitudes, and fantasies free rein. As so understood, the realm of the purely mental is a morality-free zone, one within which no thoughts or attitudes are either forbidden or required. Even when our beliefs are irrational or repugnant and our desires reflect badly on our character, it is never morally wrong for us to have them.

A Wild West of the Mind advances a provocative thesis of normative ethics and offers a powerful defense of freedom of mind. Broad in scope and tightly argued, the book will have much to offer philosophers working in ethics, free will, and epistemology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197564677
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/25/2021
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

George Sher is Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Philosophy at Rice University. His two most recent books are Equality for Inegalitarians, and Me, You, Us: Essays.

Table of Contents

1. Nasty as I Wanna Be
2. Harmful Thoughts
3. Moral Risk
4. Vicious Thoughts
5. Don't Even Think of It
6. Like a Dye in Water
7. Encomium

Editorial Reviews

"A Wild West of the Mind is a must read for anyone interested in the ethics of attitudes. It contains many valuable insights and arguments and develops a much-needed framework for future discussion. The book also offers plenty food for thought for readers whose primary focus is not on attitudinal morality, but rather on, for example, the boundaries between morality and moralism, the value of mental freedom, or the limits of social justice obligations." — Romy Eskens, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice

"There's honestly a lot one could say to recommend the book-and not just the usual points that it's well written, rigorously argued, original, and expertly oriented within a rich range of literature. Beyond all that, I found Sher's discussion of Iris Murdoch's brand of virtue ethics especially insightful." — Alexis Burgess, Los Angeles, CA, Ethics

From the Publisher