Moral Progress

by Philip Kitcher

Overview

This inaugural volume in the Munich Lectures in Ethics series presents lectures by noted philosopher Philip Kitcher. In these lectures, Kitcher develops further the pragmatist approach to moral philosophy, begun in his book The Ethical Project. He uses three historical examples of moral progress—the abolition of chattel slavery, the expansion of opportunities for women, and the increasing acceptance of same-sex love—to propose methods for moral inquiry. In his recommended methodology, Kitcher sees moral progress, for individuals and for societies, through collective discussions that become more inclusive, better informed, and involve participants more inclined to engage with the perspectives of others and aim at actions tolerable by all. The volume is introduced by Jan-Christoph Heilinger and contains commentaries from distinguished scholars Amia Srinivasan, Susan Neiman, and Rahel Jaeggi, and Kitcher's response to their commentaries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197549155
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	06/09/2021
Series:	Munich Lectures in Ethics
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	8.57(w) x 5.80(h) x 0.82(d)

About the Author

Philip Kitcher is the John Dewey Professor of Philosophy emeritus at Columbia University. He has written seventeen previous books, several of which have won awards. He is well-known internationally for his work in many fields of philosophy, including the philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of science, ethics, epistemology, political philosophy, and studies of philosophical themes in literature and music. A previous president of the American Philosophical Association (Pacific Division), he is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Member of the American Philosophical Society. He is an Honorary Fellow of Christ's College Cambridge, and, in 2019, was awarded the Rescher Medal for contributions to systematic philosophy.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Jan-Christoph Heilinger

Author's Preface

Moral Progress, Philip Kitcher
1. Method in Moral Inquiry
2. Problems of False Consciousness
3. The Many Modes of Moral Progress

Comments
The Limits of Conversation, Amia Srinivasan
Progress, Regress, and Power, Susan Neiman
Progress as the Dynamics of Crisis, Rahel Jaeggi

Response
Response to the Commentaries, Philip Kitcher

Bibliography
Index