Thomas F. Farr
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195179958
- eISBN:
- 9780199869749
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195179958.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The book ends with a brief story that revisits major themes of the book: the secularistic culture at the Department of State and its aversion to thinking about religion; the threat to the American ...
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The book ends with a brief story that revisits major themes of the book: the secularistic culture at the Department of State and its aversion to thinking about religion; the threat to the American homeland of Islamist terrorism; the promotion of “freedom” in the Middle East without religious freedom; the limited value of set piece face-to-face diplomacy; the need for public pressure on the U.S. foreign policy establishment; enduring skepticism among some in the West about the motives of religious people; the American opportunity in the lands of Islam and in China; and, finally, the potential role of religious actors in civil society, in the pursuit of justice, and in the principle that lies at the very heart of religious freedom: the dignity of the human person.Less
The book ends with a brief story that revisits major themes of the book: the secularistic culture at the Department of State and its aversion to thinking about religion; the threat to the American homeland of Islamist terrorism; the promotion of “freedom” in the Middle East without religious freedom; the limited value of set piece face-to-face diplomacy; the need for public pressure on the U.S. foreign policy establishment; enduring skepticism among some in the West about the motives of religious people; the American opportunity in the lands of Islam and in China; and, finally, the potential role of religious actors in civil society, in the pursuit of justice, and in the principle that lies at the very heart of religious freedom: the dignity of the human person.
Ngugi wa Thiongʼo
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198183907
- eISBN:
- 9780191674136
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198183907.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature, Film, Media, and Cultural Studies
This book explores the relationship between art and political power in society, taking as its starting point the experience of writers in contemporary Africa, where they are often seen as the enemy ...
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This book explores the relationship between art and political power in society, taking as its starting point the experience of writers in contemporary Africa, where they are often seen as the enemy of the postcolonial state. This study, in turn, raises the wider issues of the relationship between the state of art and the art of the state, particularly in their struggle for the control of performance space in territorial, temporal, social, and even psychic contexts. The book calls for the alliance of art and people power and freedom and dignity against the encroachments of modern states. Art, it argues, needs to be active, engaged, insistent on being what it has always been, and the embodiment of dreams for a truly human world.Less
This book explores the relationship between art and political power in society, taking as its starting point the experience of writers in contemporary Africa, where they are often seen as the enemy of the postcolonial state. This study, in turn, raises the wider issues of the relationship between the state of art and the art of the state, particularly in their struggle for the control of performance space in territorial, temporal, social, and even psychic contexts. The book calls for the alliance of art and people power and freedom and dignity against the encroachments of modern states. Art, it argues, needs to be active, engaged, insistent on being what it has always been, and the embodiment of dreams for a truly human world.
Thérèse Murphy (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199562572
- eISBN:
- 9780191705328
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562572.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Intellectual Property, IT, and Media Law, Human Rights and Immigration
The first IVF baby was born in the 1970s. Less than twenty years later, cloning and GM food were popular talking-points, and information and communication technologies had transformed everyday life. ...
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The first IVF baby was born in the 1970s. Less than twenty years later, cloning and GM food were popular talking-points, and information and communication technologies had transformed everyday life. In 2000, the first map of the human genome was sequenced. More recently there has been much discussion of the economic and social benefits of nanotechnology. This book contributes to increasing calls for regulation — or better regulation — of these and other new technologies. Drawing on an international team of legal scholars, it reviews and develops the role of human rights in the regulation of new technologies. Three controversies at the intersection between human rights and new technologies are given particular attention. First, are human rights contributing to a brave new world of choice, where human dignity is fundamentally compromised? Second, are new technologies a threat to human rights? Finally, can human rights contribute to better regulation of these technologies?Less
The first IVF baby was born in the 1970s. Less than twenty years later, cloning and GM food were popular talking-points, and information and communication technologies had transformed everyday life. In 2000, the first map of the human genome was sequenced. More recently there has been much discussion of the economic and social benefits of nanotechnology. This book contributes to increasing calls for regulation — or better regulation — of these and other new technologies. Drawing on an international team of legal scholars, it reviews and develops the role of human rights in the regulation of new technologies. Three controversies at the intersection between human rights and new technologies are given particular attention. First, are human rights contributing to a brave new world of choice, where human dignity is fundamentally compromised? Second, are new technologies a threat to human rights? Finally, can human rights contribute to better regulation of these technologies?
Harvey Max Chochinov
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195176216
- eISBN:
- 9780199933181
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195176216.001.0001
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making
Maintaining dignity for patients approaching death is a core principle of palliative care. Turning that principle into ways of guiding care at the end-of-life, however, can be a complicated and ...
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Maintaining dignity for patients approaching death is a core principle of palliative care. Turning that principle into ways of guiding care at the end-of-life, however, can be a complicated and daunting task. Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov, an international leader in palliative care, has conducted groundbreaking research on the issue of dignity and palliative care. His findings are beginning to change the way people think about and approach care for the terminally ill. Dignity Therapy is a novel, individualized, brief psychological intervention, designed specifically to address many of the psychological, existential and spiritual challenges that patients and their families face as they grapple with the reality of life drawing to a close. This therapeutic approach, based on years of Chochinov and his team's research, has been tested on patients with advanced illnesses in various countries worldwide. Many palliative care programs are starting to incorporate Dignity Therapy into the range of services offered dying patients and their families. This enthusiastic uptake of Dignity Therapy speaks to some universal aspects of being human; to be alive means to experience being vulnerable and being mortal. Dignity Therapy offers a way of preserving meaning, purpose and hope for patients approaching death. The benefits of this approach for patients and families have been demonstrated in various studies in diverse settings. Dignity Therapy: Final Words for Final Days introduces readers to this pioneering and innovative work, illustrating how Dignity Therapy can change end-of-life experience for those about to die and those who will grieve their passing.Less
Maintaining dignity for patients approaching death is a core principle of palliative care. Turning that principle into ways of guiding care at the end-of-life, however, can be a complicated and daunting task. Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov, an international leader in palliative care, has conducted groundbreaking research on the issue of dignity and palliative care. His findings are beginning to change the way people think about and approach care for the terminally ill. Dignity Therapy is a novel, individualized, brief psychological intervention, designed specifically to address many of the psychological, existential and spiritual challenges that patients and their families face as they grapple with the reality of life drawing to a close. This therapeutic approach, based on years of Chochinov and his team's research, has been tested on patients with advanced illnesses in various countries worldwide. Many palliative care programs are starting to incorporate Dignity Therapy into the range of services offered dying patients and their families. This enthusiastic uptake of Dignity Therapy speaks to some universal aspects of being human; to be alive means to experience being vulnerable and being mortal. Dignity Therapy offers a way of preserving meaning, purpose and hope for patients approaching death. The benefits of this approach for patients and families have been demonstrated in various studies in diverse settings. Dignity Therapy: Final Words for Final Days introduces readers to this pioneering and innovative work, illustrating how Dignity Therapy can change end-of-life experience for those about to die and those who will grieve their passing.
David Cummiskey
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195094534
- eISBN:
- 9780199833146
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195094530.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Kantians and Consequentialists alike have presumed that Kantian ethics is incompatible with all forms of consequentialism, and that it instead justifies a system of agent‐centered restrictions, or ...
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Kantians and Consequentialists alike have presumed that Kantian ethics is incompatible with all forms of consequentialism, and that it instead justifies a system of agent‐centered restrictions, or deontological constraints, on the maximization of the good. Unlike all forms of utilitarian theories, Kant's ethical theory is supposed to justify basic human rights, respect for which constrains the maximization of the good. Kantian Consequentialism argues that Kant's basic rationalist, internalist approach to the justification of normative principles, his conception of morality as a system of categorical imperatives, his account of the nature of the goodwill and the motive of duty, and his principle of universalizability are all compatible with normative consequentialism. In addition, the core moral ideal of the dignity of humanity, and the related conception of respect for persons, which is based on the intrinsic value of rational nature as an end‐in‐itself, support the widespread intuition that our rational nature is the basis of values that are higher than mere happiness. The result is a novel and compelling form of consequentialism that is based on, and that gives priority to, the unique and special value of rational nature itself.Less
Kantians and Consequentialists alike have presumed that Kantian ethics is incompatible with all forms of consequentialism, and that it instead justifies a system of agent‐centered restrictions, or deontological constraints, on the maximization of the good. Unlike all forms of utilitarian theories, Kant's ethical theory is supposed to justify basic human rights, respect for which constrains the maximization of the good. Kantian Consequentialism argues that Kant's basic rationalist, internalist approach to the justification of normative principles, his conception of morality as a system of categorical imperatives, his account of the nature of the goodwill and the motive of duty, and his principle of universalizability are all compatible with normative consequentialism. In addition, the core moral ideal of the dignity of humanity, and the related conception of respect for persons, which is based on the intrinsic value of rational nature as an end‐in‐itself, support the widespread intuition that our rational nature is the basis of values that are higher than mere happiness. The result is a novel and compelling form of consequentialism that is based on, and that gives priority to, the unique and special value of rational nature itself.
George P. Fletcher
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195156287
- eISBN:
- 9780199872169
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195156285.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines the myriad shadings of the concept of equality. The author discusses the origins and philosophical underpinnings of the phrase, “all men are created equal,” Immanuel Kant's ...
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This chapter examines the myriad shadings of the concept of equality. The author discusses the origins and philosophical underpinnings of the phrase, “all men are created equal,” Immanuel Kant's concept of human dignity, and the impact of religion and nationalism on the theory of equality found in the Fourteenth Amendment. Special attention is paid to Charles Black's alternative reading of the Amendment's emphasis on citizenship as the requisite for equal treatment under the law.Less
This chapter examines the myriad shadings of the concept of equality. The author discusses the origins and philosophical underpinnings of the phrase, “all men are created equal,” Immanuel Kant's concept of human dignity, and the impact of religion and nationalism on the theory of equality found in the Fourteenth Amendment. Special attention is paid to Charles Black's alternative reading of the Amendment's emphasis on citizenship as the requisite for equal treatment under the law.
Thomas Christiano
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198297475
- eISBN:
- 9780191716867
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198297475.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Theory
This chapter sketches a foundational defense of the principle of equality of advancement of interests. The argument proceeds by showing that justice is grounded in the dignity of persons. The dignity ...
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This chapter sketches a foundational defense of the principle of equality of advancement of interests. The argument proceeds by showing that justice is grounded in the dignity of persons. The dignity of persons, properly understood, grounds some main principles at the root of justice and these main principles ground the principle of equality in the distribution of well-being. It undermines one main (perhaps the main) objection to the principle of equality: the leveling down objection. Once we see how the principle of equality is grounded we will see that it is a common good principle: it does not permit leveling down for the sake of feasible equality. Principles of desert and productivity are shown to be legitimate at most within a framework of equality and severely limited by it.Less
This chapter sketches a foundational defense of the principle of equality of advancement of interests. The argument proceeds by showing that justice is grounded in the dignity of persons. The dignity of persons, properly understood, grounds some main principles at the root of justice and these main principles ground the principle of equality in the distribution of well-being. It undermines one main (perhaps the main) objection to the principle of equality: the leveling down objection. Once we see how the principle of equality is grounded we will see that it is a common good principle: it does not permit leveling down for the sake of feasible equality. Principles of desert and productivity are shown to be legitimate at most within a framework of equality and severely limited by it.
William Bain
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199260263
- eISBN:
- 9780191600975
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199260265.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The international administration of troubled states—whether in Bosnia, Kosovo, or East Timor—has seen a return to the principle of trusteeship: i.e. situations in which some form of international ...
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The international administration of troubled states—whether in Bosnia, Kosovo, or East Timor—has seen a return to the principle of trusteeship: i.e. situations in which some form of international supervision is required in a particular territory in order both to maintain order and to foster the norms and practices of fair self‐government. This book rescues the normative discourse of trusteeship from the obscurity into which it has fallen since decolonization. It traces the development of trusteeship from its emergence out of debates concerning the misrule of the East India Company (Ch. 2), to its internationalization in imperial Africa (Ch. 3), to its institutionalization in the League of Nations mandates system (Ch. 4) and in the UN trusteeship system, and to the destruction of its legitimacy by the ideas of self‐determination and human equality (Ch. 5). The book brings this rich historical experience to bear on the dilemmas posed by the resurrection of trusteeship after the end of the cold war (Ch. 6) and, in the context of contemporary world problems, explores the obligations that attach to preponderant power and the limits that should be observed in exercising that power for the sake of global good. In Ch. 7, the book concludes by arguing that trusteeship remains fundamentally at odds with the ideas of human dignity and equality.Less
The international administration of troubled states—whether in Bosnia, Kosovo, or East Timor—has seen a return to the principle of trusteeship: i.e. situations in which some form of international supervision is required in a particular territory in order both to maintain order and to foster the norms and practices of fair self‐government. This book rescues the normative discourse of trusteeship from the obscurity into which it has fallen since decolonization. It traces the development of trusteeship from its emergence out of debates concerning the misrule of the East India Company (Ch. 2), to its internationalization in imperial Africa (Ch. 3), to its institutionalization in the League of Nations mandates system (Ch. 4) and in the UN trusteeship system, and to the destruction of its legitimacy by the ideas of self‐determination and human equality (Ch. 5). The book brings this rich historical experience to bear on the dilemmas posed by the resurrection of trusteeship after the end of the cold war (Ch. 6) and, in the context of contemporary world problems, explores the obligations that attach to preponderant power and the limits that should be observed in exercising that power for the sake of global good. In Ch. 7, the book concludes by arguing that trusteeship remains fundamentally at odds with the ideas of human dignity and equality.
Jeremy Waldron
Meir Dan-Cohen (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199915439
- eISBN:
- 9780199980222
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199915439.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Writers on human dignity roughly divide between those who stress the social origins of this concept and its role in marking rank and hierarchy, and those who follow Kant in grounding dignity in an ...
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Writers on human dignity roughly divide between those who stress the social origins of this concept and its role in marking rank and hierarchy, and those who follow Kant in grounding dignity in an abstract and idealized philosophical conception of human beings. This book contrives to combine attractive features of both strands. The first lecture in this book presents a conception of dignity that preserves its ancient association with rank and station, thus tapping into rich historical resources while avoiding what many perceive as the excessive abstraction and dubious metaphysics of the Kantian strand. At the same time the text argues for a conception of human dignity that amounts to a generalization of high status across all human beings, and so attains the appealing universality of the Kantian position. The second lecture focuses particularly on the importance of dignity—understood in this way—as a status defining persons' relation to law: their presentation as persons capable of self-applying the law, capable of presenting and arguing a point of view, and capable of responding to law's demands without brute coercion. Together the two lectures illuminate the relation between dignity conceived as the ground of rights and dignity conceived as the content of rights. They also illuminate important ideas about dignity as noble bearing and dignity as the subject of a right against degrading treatment; and they help us understand the sense in which dignity is better conceived as a status than as a kind of value.Less
Writers on human dignity roughly divide between those who stress the social origins of this concept and its role in marking rank and hierarchy, and those who follow Kant in grounding dignity in an abstract and idealized philosophical conception of human beings. This book contrives to combine attractive features of both strands. The first lecture in this book presents a conception of dignity that preserves its ancient association with rank and station, thus tapping into rich historical resources while avoiding what many perceive as the excessive abstraction and dubious metaphysics of the Kantian strand. At the same time the text argues for a conception of human dignity that amounts to a generalization of high status across all human beings, and so attains the appealing universality of the Kantian position. The second lecture focuses particularly on the importance of dignity—understood in this way—as a status defining persons' relation to law: their presentation as persons capable of self-applying the law, capable of presenting and arguing a point of view, and capable of responding to law's demands without brute coercion. Together the two lectures illuminate the relation between dignity conceived as the ground of rights and dignity conceived as the content of rights. They also illuminate important ideas about dignity as noble bearing and dignity as the subject of a right against degrading treatment; and they help us understand the sense in which dignity is better conceived as a status than as a kind of value.
Martha Nussbaum
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199256457
- eISBN:
- 9780191601989
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199256454.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter proposes a capabilities approach to international development that can recognize and address the special problems women face. It focuses on human capabilities, i.e., what people are able ...
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This chapter proposes a capabilities approach to international development that can recognize and address the special problems women face. It focuses on human capabilities, i.e., what people are able to do and be, based on the idea that a life is worthy of the dignity of the human being. A list of central human capabilities are identified, and set within the context of a type of political liberalism that makes them specific political goals and free from any specific metaphysical grounding. This way, capabilities become the object of an overlapping consensus among people who would otherwise have different conceptions of the good.Less
This chapter proposes a capabilities approach to international development that can recognize and address the special problems women face. It focuses on human capabilities, i.e., what people are able to do and be, based on the idea that a life is worthy of the dignity of the human being. A list of central human capabilities are identified, and set within the context of a type of political liberalism that makes them specific political goals and free from any specific metaphysical grounding. This way, capabilities become the object of an overlapping consensus among people who would otherwise have different conceptions of the good.
William Bain
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199260263
- eISBN:
- 9780191600975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199260265.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Offers some thoughts about the idea of trusteeship and its place in the history of international society. The first section, Unity, Progress, and Perfection of Humankind, puts forward the claim that ...
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Offers some thoughts about the idea of trusteeship and its place in the history of international society. The first section, Unity, Progress, and Perfection of Humankind, puts forward the claim that trusteeship is a historic idea that is distinctive of a particular time and place, and, specifically, that it is intelligible in relation to other ideas that are especially characteristic of the Enlightenment. Thus, trusteeship discloses moral excellence, and indeed obtains powerful justification, when it contributes to the unity, progress, and perfection of the human family. The second section, A Society of States and a Family of Peoples, argues that these ideas call forth an understanding of international life that conceives international society and human society as forming a perfect identity, and which is underwritten by the duty that we should act so as to secure the good of our fellows. The third section, The Limit of Obligation, considers the limits of this duty, and concludes that in seeking the good of our fellows we must stop short of treating people paternally. This conclusion casts a pall of doubt on the legitimacy of trusteeship in contemporary international society, even when it is aimed at protecting fundamental human rights, because it proposes to treat an equal unequally—indeed, trusteeship is morally objectionable because it offends the irreducible sanctity of human personality by repudiating the essence of what it means to be human, a thinking and choosing agent.Less
Offers some thoughts about the idea of trusteeship and its place in the history of international society. The first section, Unity, Progress, and Perfection of Humankind, puts forward the claim that trusteeship is a historic idea that is distinctive of a particular time and place, and, specifically, that it is intelligible in relation to other ideas that are especially characteristic of the Enlightenment. Thus, trusteeship discloses moral excellence, and indeed obtains powerful justification, when it contributes to the unity, progress, and perfection of the human family. The second section, A Society of States and a Family of Peoples, argues that these ideas call forth an understanding of international life that conceives international society and human society as forming a perfect identity, and which is underwritten by the duty that we should act so as to secure the good of our fellows. The third section, The Limit of Obligation, considers the limits of this duty, and concludes that in seeking the good of our fellows we must stop short of treating people paternally. This conclusion casts a pall of doubt on the legitimacy of trusteeship in contemporary international society, even when it is aimed at protecting fundamental human rights, because it proposes to treat an equal unequally—indeed, trusteeship is morally objectionable because it offends the irreducible sanctity of human personality by repudiating the essence of what it means to be human, a thinking and choosing agent.
Holger Zaborowski
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199576777
- eISBN:
- 9780191722295
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199576777.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
The German philosopher Robert Spaemann provides an important contribution to a number of contemporary debates in philosophy and theology, opening up possibilities for conversation between these ...
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The German philosopher Robert Spaemann provides an important contribution to a number of contemporary debates in philosophy and theology, opening up possibilities for conversation between these disciplines. He engages in a dialogue with classical and contemporary positions and often formulates important and original insights that lie beyond common alternatives. This study provides an analysis of the most important features of Spaemann's philosophy and shows the unity of his thought. The question ‘Who is a person?’ is of increasing significance: Are all human beings persons? Are there animals that can be considered persons? What does it mean to speak of personal identity and of the dignity of the person? Spaemann provides an answer to these questions: every human being, he argues, is a person and, therefore, ‘has’ his nature in freedom. In order to understand the person, Spaemann explains, we have to think about the relation between nature and freedom, and avoid the reductive accounts of this relation prevalent in important strands of modern thought. Spaemann develops a challenging critique of modernity, incorporating analysis of modern anti-modernisms and showing that these are also subject to a dialectical development, perpetuating the problematic shortcomings of many features of modern reasoning. If we do not want to abolish ourselves as persons, Spaemann reasons, we need to find a way of understanding ourselves that evades the dialectic of modernity. Thus, he reminds his readers of ‘self-evident’ knowledge: insights that we have once already known, but tend to forget.Less
The German philosopher Robert Spaemann provides an important contribution to a number of contemporary debates in philosophy and theology, opening up possibilities for conversation between these disciplines. He engages in a dialogue with classical and contemporary positions and often formulates important and original insights that lie beyond common alternatives. This study provides an analysis of the most important features of Spaemann's philosophy and shows the unity of his thought. The question ‘Who is a person?’ is of increasing significance: Are all human beings persons? Are there animals that can be considered persons? What does it mean to speak of personal identity and of the dignity of the person? Spaemann provides an answer to these questions: every human being, he argues, is a person and, therefore, ‘has’ his nature in freedom. In order to understand the person, Spaemann explains, we have to think about the relation between nature and freedom, and avoid the reductive accounts of this relation prevalent in important strands of modern thought. Spaemann develops a challenging critique of modernity, incorporating analysis of modern anti-modernisms and showing that these are also subject to a dialectical development, perpetuating the problematic shortcomings of many features of modern reasoning. If we do not want to abolish ourselves as persons, Spaemann reasons, we need to find a way of understanding ourselves that evades the dialectic of modernity. Thus, he reminds his readers of ‘self-evident’ knowledge: insights that we have once already known, but tend to forget.
Frederick Beiser
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199282821
- eISBN:
- 9780191603068
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019928282X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This book is an attempt to rehabilitate Schiller as a philosopher. It defends his philosophy against his Marxist, post-modernist and Kantian critics. Some chapters are exegetical, others thematic. ...
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This book is an attempt to rehabilitate Schiller as a philosopher. It defends his philosophy against his Marxist, post-modernist and Kantian critics. Some chapters are exegetical, others thematic. The exegetical chapters (2-4) re-examine the arguments and context of some of his most important writings, Kallias Briefe, Anmut und Würde, and the Äesthetische Briefe. The thematic chapters treat Schiller’s intellectual development, his concept of freedom, his theory of tragedy, and his dispute with the Kantians. In defense of Schiller, it is argued that his project for an objective aesthetic was not misguided in principle, that he does not conflate aesthetic and moral values, that his concept of the beautiful soul should not be confused with its Rousseauian variants, and that his concept of grace does not mean acting from natural sentiment. It is also contended that Schiller offers a plausible revision of Kant’s moral philosophy, an interesting response to the problem of freedom in post-Kantian philosophy, and a much underrated theory of tragedy, and a remarkable attempt to square the demands of aesthetic autonomy with moral purpose in the arts. The aim is not to sanctify or whitewash Schiller, but to show that his critics have largely misunderstood him.Less
This book is an attempt to rehabilitate Schiller as a philosopher. It defends his philosophy against his Marxist, post-modernist and Kantian critics. Some chapters are exegetical, others thematic. The exegetical chapters (2-4) re-examine the arguments and context of some of his most important writings, Kallias Briefe, Anmut und Würde, and the Äesthetische Briefe. The thematic chapters treat Schiller’s intellectual development, his concept of freedom, his theory of tragedy, and his dispute with the Kantians. In defense of Schiller, it is argued that his project for an objective aesthetic was not misguided in principle, that he does not conflate aesthetic and moral values, that his concept of the beautiful soul should not be confused with its Rousseauian variants, and that his concept of grace does not mean acting from natural sentiment. It is also contended that Schiller offers a plausible revision of Kant’s moral philosophy, an interesting response to the problem of freedom in post-Kantian philosophy, and a much underrated theory of tragedy, and a remarkable attempt to square the demands of aesthetic autonomy with moral purpose in the arts. The aim is not to sanctify or whitewash Schiller, but to show that his critics have largely misunderstood him.
Alan Brudner
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199225798
- eISBN:
- 9780191706516
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199225798.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law
Most constitutional theorists have despaired of a liberal consensus on the fundamental goals of constitutional order. Instead they have contented themselves with agreement on lower-level principles ...
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Most constitutional theorists have despaired of a liberal consensus on the fundamental goals of constitutional order. Instead they have contented themselves with agreement on lower-level principles on which those who disagree on fundamentals may coincidentally converge or else with a process for translating fundamental disagreement into acceptable laws. The book suggests a conception of fundamental justice that liberals of competing philosophic schools may accept as fulfilling their own basic commitments. It argues that the model liberal-democratic constitution is best understood as a unity of three constitutional frameworks: libertarian, egalitarian, and communitarian. Each is based on a particular conception of public reason. The book criticizes each of these frameworks insofar as its organizing conception claims to be fundamental and then moves forward to suggest a Hegelian conception of public reason within which each framework is contained as a constituent element of a whole. When viewed in this light, the liberal constitution embodies a surprising synthesis. It reconciles a commitment to individual liberty and freedom of conscience with the perfectionist idea that the state ought to cultivate a type of personality whose fundamental ends are the goods essential to dignity. Such a reconciliation may attract competing liberalisms to a consensus on an inclusive conception of public reason under which political authority is validated for those who share a confidence in the individual's inviolable worth.Less
Most constitutional theorists have despaired of a liberal consensus on the fundamental goals of constitutional order. Instead they have contented themselves with agreement on lower-level principles on which those who disagree on fundamentals may coincidentally converge or else with a process for translating fundamental disagreement into acceptable laws. The book suggests a conception of fundamental justice that liberals of competing philosophic schools may accept as fulfilling their own basic commitments. It argues that the model liberal-democratic constitution is best understood as a unity of three constitutional frameworks: libertarian, egalitarian, and communitarian. Each is based on a particular conception of public reason. The book criticizes each of these frameworks insofar as its organizing conception claims to be fundamental and then moves forward to suggest a Hegelian conception of public reason within which each framework is contained as a constituent element of a whole. When viewed in this light, the liberal constitution embodies a surprising synthesis. It reconciles a commitment to individual liberty and freedom of conscience with the perfectionist idea that the state ought to cultivate a type of personality whose fundamental ends are the goods essential to dignity. Such a reconciliation may attract competing liberalisms to a consensus on an inclusive conception of public reason under which political authority is validated for those who share a confidence in the individual's inviolable worth.
Margaret Urban Walker
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195315394
- eISBN:
- 9780199872053
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315394.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy
The proliferation of truth commissions and the establishment of a “right to truth” concerning human rights violations embody a politics of transparency that makes moral claims for truth telling about ...
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The proliferation of truth commissions and the establishment of a “right to truth” concerning human rights violations embody a politics of transparency that makes moral claims for truth telling about violence and injustice. This chapter argues that having told, being told, and telling truths in these cases has more than the instrumental value of identifying wrongs. Truth telling, through acknowledgment and voice, serves to establish or restore the dignity of victims and to reconfigure a moral community. Dignity is the moral standing of a full participant in practices of mutual accountability. Acknowledgment, as successful apology shows, validates a victims'experience and shifts the reflective equilibrium of common belief to secure stable recognition. Having voice demonstrates one's competence and credibility as a giver of accounts, a constitutive feature of full participation in practices of accountability.Less
The proliferation of truth commissions and the establishment of a “right to truth” concerning human rights violations embody a politics of transparency that makes moral claims for truth telling about violence and injustice. This chapter argues that having told, being told, and telling truths in these cases has more than the instrumental value of identifying wrongs. Truth telling, through acknowledgment and voice, serves to establish or restore the dignity of victims and to reconfigure a moral community. Dignity is the moral standing of a full participant in practices of mutual accountability. Acknowledgment, as successful apology shows, validates a victims'experience and shifts the reflective equilibrium of common belief to secure stable recognition. Having voice demonstrates one's competence and credibility as a giver of accounts, a constitutive feature of full participation in practices of accountability.
Lenn E. Goodman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195328820
- eISBN:
- 9780199870172
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328820.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter aims to put some flesh on the bones of the biblical commandment Love thy neighbor as thyself. Goodman situates the Mosaic ethics of love and its commands in behalf of existential desert ...
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This chapter aims to put some flesh on the bones of the biblical commandment Love thy neighbor as thyself. Goodman situates the Mosaic ethics of love and its commands in behalf of existential desert and the dignity of personhood. Biblical and rabbinic thinking here and in particular in the work of the philosopher Bahya ibn Paquda stands out vividly alongside the ideas of Hobbes, Hume, Adam Smith, and John Rawls. It is not utility or the sheer positivity of the Law that motivates love of one's neighbor, or anything so abstract as Kantian duty, but the very claim the neighbor makes on us. In this light, the commandment becomes more robust and concrete, its expectations clarified and enlarged.Less
This chapter aims to put some flesh on the bones of the biblical commandment Love thy neighbor as thyself. Goodman situates the Mosaic ethics of love and its commands in behalf of existential desert and the dignity of personhood. Biblical and rabbinic thinking here and in particular in the work of the philosopher Bahya ibn Paquda stands out vividly alongside the ideas of Hobbes, Hume, Adam Smith, and John Rawls. It is not utility or the sheer positivity of the Law that motivates love of one's neighbor, or anything so abstract as Kantian duty, but the very claim the neighbor makes on us. In this light, the commandment becomes more robust and concrete, its expectations clarified and enlarged.
Fiona Randall and R S Downie
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198567363
- eISBN:
- 9780191730535
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198567363.001.0001
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Palliative Medicine Research
The idea of a philosophy of palliative care emerged with Cicely Saunders' vision for ‘a good death’, and was developed further with the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of palliative care. ...
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The idea of a philosophy of palliative care emerged with Cicely Saunders' vision for ‘a good death’, and was developed further with the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of palliative care. It is now being applied not only to cancer patients, but to all patients in end-of-life situations. As this palliative care approach advances, it is important to pause and comment on its effectiveness. It is a philosophy of patient care, and is therefore open to critique and evaluation. Using the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine, 3rd edition as their basic reference, the authors present their argument that the palliative care approach has become too busy and over-professionalised, and that it therefore has significant weaknesses. They examine the framework of the specialty – quality of life, autonomy, dignity, patient-centredness, and the priority assigned to relatives in the remit of care – and the moral problems associated with implementing such a philosophy. The resource implications of various healthcare policies are also discussed in relation to the WHO definition. Whilst the authors defend the achievements of palliative care and those who work in the profession, they present suggestions for an alternative philosophy that prompts many ethical and philosophical questions about the future of palliative care.Less
The idea of a philosophy of palliative care emerged with Cicely Saunders' vision for ‘a good death’, and was developed further with the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of palliative care. It is now being applied not only to cancer patients, but to all patients in end-of-life situations. As this palliative care approach advances, it is important to pause and comment on its effectiveness. It is a philosophy of patient care, and is therefore open to critique and evaluation. Using the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine, 3rd edition as their basic reference, the authors present their argument that the palliative care approach has become too busy and over-professionalised, and that it therefore has significant weaknesses. They examine the framework of the specialty – quality of life, autonomy, dignity, patient-centredness, and the priority assigned to relatives in the remit of care – and the moral problems associated with implementing such a philosophy. The resource implications of various healthcare policies are also discussed in relation to the WHO definition. Whilst the authors defend the achievements of palliative care and those who work in the profession, they present suggestions for an alternative philosophy that prompts many ethical and philosophical questions about the future of palliative care.
Theodor Meron
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199608935
- eISBN:
- 9780191729706
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199608935.003.0005
- Subject:
- Law, Human Rights and Immigration, Public International Law
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has moved human rights from the domestic world of citizen and civil rights to the universe of international entitlement, providing them additional legitimacy ...
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has moved human rights from the domestic world of citizen and civil rights to the universe of international entitlement, providing them additional legitimacy and making them a basis of expectations for peoples everywhere. The rights the Universal Declaration promises are increasingly accepted as international customary law. The Universal Declaration, in conjunction with the Helsinki Accords, has also provided inspiration for and played a major role in the overthrow of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Through its recognition of people's rights the Universal Declaration was instrumental in the struggle against colonialism and in advancing self-determination. More recently, through international criminal courts and tribunals, some of its norms have even been transformed into binding rules of international criminal law. But while the normative and theoretical impacts of the Universal Declaration have been extraordinary, the gap between expectations on the one hand, and implementation and enforcement on the other, was, and continues to be, significant. There is thus no question that much remains to be done in advancing the cause of human freedom and dignity. In assessing the achievements and future potential of the Universal Declaration at sixty, it is appropriate to ponder first whether its fundamental values are still those that should frame the debate over human rights.Less
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has moved human rights from the domestic world of citizen and civil rights to the universe of international entitlement, providing them additional legitimacy and making them a basis of expectations for peoples everywhere. The rights the Universal Declaration promises are increasingly accepted as international customary law. The Universal Declaration, in conjunction with the Helsinki Accords, has also provided inspiration for and played a major role in the overthrow of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Through its recognition of people's rights the Universal Declaration was instrumental in the struggle against colonialism and in advancing self-determination. More recently, through international criminal courts and tribunals, some of its norms have even been transformed into binding rules of international criminal law. But while the normative and theoretical impacts of the Universal Declaration have been extraordinary, the gap between expectations on the one hand, and implementation and enforcement on the other, was, and continues to be, significant. There is thus no question that much remains to be done in advancing the cause of human freedom and dignity. In assessing the achievements and future potential of the Universal Declaration at sixty, it is appropriate to ponder first whether its fundamental values are still those that should frame the debate over human rights.
David Erdos
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557769
- eISBN:
- 9780191594380
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557769.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This conclusionary chapter explores the implications of the Postmaterialist Trigger Thesis (PTT) of bill of rights institutionalization beyond the four Westminster democracies from whose experience ...
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This conclusionary chapter explores the implications of the Postmaterialist Trigger Thesis (PTT) of bill of rights institutionalization beyond the four Westminster democracies from whose experience it was developed. The first half of the chapter examines the wider direct applicability of the PTT, arguing that it should fit other instances of deliberate bill of rights institutionalization in internally stable, advanced democracies. The genesis of the Israeli Basic Laws on human rights (1992) is explored as an exemplar case. The second part considers the broader relevance of the PTT. It argues that the PTT's focus on the importance of political triggers in stable, advanced democratic settings importantly mirrors the emphasis on political transition within less‐stable settings. Finally, the book explores the postmaterialist conceptions of rights and bills of rights arguing that, in contrast to classic liberalism, these conceptions are not based on a presumption of State non‐interference. In fact, such conceptions have encouraged a reorientation of human rights so as to accommodate and, on occasion, even require State action. At the extreme, and despite their very different long‐term historical origins, postmaterialist bills of rights may become co‐opted into the State‐directed audit and risk management explosion which has become a hallmark of advanced industrialized democracy.Less
This conclusionary chapter explores the implications of the Postmaterialist Trigger Thesis (PTT) of bill of rights institutionalization beyond the four Westminster democracies from whose experience it was developed. The first half of the chapter examines the wider direct applicability of the PTT, arguing that it should fit other instances of deliberate bill of rights institutionalization in internally stable, advanced democracies. The genesis of the Israeli Basic Laws on human rights (1992) is explored as an exemplar case. The second part considers the broader relevance of the PTT. It argues that the PTT's focus on the importance of political triggers in stable, advanced democratic settings importantly mirrors the emphasis on political transition within less‐stable settings. Finally, the book explores the postmaterialist conceptions of rights and bills of rights arguing that, in contrast to classic liberalism, these conceptions are not based on a presumption of State non‐interference. In fact, such conceptions have encouraged a reorientation of human rights so as to accommodate and, on occasion, even require State action. At the extreme, and despite their very different long‐term historical origins, postmaterialist bills of rights may become co‐opted into the State‐directed audit and risk management explosion which has become a hallmark of advanced industrialized democracy.
Colin Dayan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691070919
- eISBN:
- 9781400838592
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691070919.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter explains that in the trade-off between dignity and degradation, the rights of humans are pitted against the treatment of animals. Recall earlier discussions of retribution for unnatural ...
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This chapter explains that in the trade-off between dignity and degradation, the rights of humans are pitted against the treatment of animals. Recall earlier discussions of retribution for unnatural deaths in biblical and classical texts—the ox that gores must be stoned—and the medieval trials and executions of animals: the pigs who ate children, the dogs who bit, or the cats who spooked. In the distant past, animals were taken as seriously as humans, given the dignity of trial, even the recognition that comes with sudden agony. Highly unnatural religious fictions gave rise to issues of legality. Punishments ritually communicated to animals the horror of their deed. Treated as if rational beings, they were expected to take responsibility for their crime. However, these legal rituals were granted only to domesticated animals, not to the untamed, such as tigers.Less
This chapter explains that in the trade-off between dignity and degradation, the rights of humans are pitted against the treatment of animals. Recall earlier discussions of retribution for unnatural deaths in biblical and classical texts—the ox that gores must be stoned—and the medieval trials and executions of animals: the pigs who ate children, the dogs who bit, or the cats who spooked. In the distant past, animals were taken as seriously as humans, given the dignity of trial, even the recognition that comes with sudden agony. Highly unnatural religious fictions gave rise to issues of legality. Punishments ritually communicated to animals the horror of their deed. Treated as if rational beings, they were expected to take responsibility for their crime. However, these legal rituals were granted only to domesticated animals, not to the untamed, such as tigers.
