Andrew Vincent
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199271252
- eISBN:
- 9780191601101
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199271259.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Explores the generic foundations of political theory in the twentieth century. It sorts and analyses the overarching perceptions of the political theory, at a broad level of generality, during the ...
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Explores the generic foundations of political theory in the twentieth century. It sorts and analyses the overarching perceptions of the political theory, at a broad level of generality, during the bulk of the century. The five positions outlined are normative political theory, institutional theory, historical political theory, empirical political theory, and ideological theory.Less
Explores the generic foundations of political theory in the twentieth century. It sorts and analyses the overarching perceptions of the political theory, at a broad level of generality, during the bulk of the century. The five positions outlined are normative political theory, institutional theory, historical political theory, empirical political theory, and ideological theory.
Daniel Engster
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199214358
- eISBN:
- 9780191706684
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214358.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter explores the question: What does it mean to care for others in international relations? Sara Ruddick, Fiona Robinson, and others have outlined international relations theories based upon ...
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This chapter explores the question: What does it mean to care for others in international relations? Sara Ruddick, Fiona Robinson, and others have outlined international relations theories based upon care ethics, but their accounts are fairly general and say little about the rights and policies necessary for establishing caring relations among people across the world. The first half of this chapter develops a human rights framework based upon human beings' universal duty to care for others. The chapter argues that this framework avoids the central shortcomings of other international rights frameworks, and more generally provides a standard of justice that should be reasonably acceptable to people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. The second half of the chapter outlines some specific strategies and policies for enforcing human rights abroad and caring for distant others. In the last section, the chapter discusses the conditions under which care theory might justify the use of military force, especially for the sake of intervening into other countries for humanitarian purposes.Less
This chapter explores the question: What does it mean to care for others in international relations? Sara Ruddick, Fiona Robinson, and others have outlined international relations theories based upon care ethics, but their accounts are fairly general and say little about the rights and policies necessary for establishing caring relations among people across the world. The first half of this chapter develops a human rights framework based upon human beings' universal duty to care for others. The chapter argues that this framework avoids the central shortcomings of other international rights frameworks, and more generally provides a standard of justice that should be reasonably acceptable to people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. The second half of the chapter outlines some specific strategies and policies for enforcing human rights abroad and caring for distant others. In the last section, the chapter discusses the conditions under which care theory might justify the use of military force, especially for the sake of intervening into other countries for humanitarian purposes.
John Ferejohn
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195392135
- eISBN:
- 9780199852543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195392135.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Many believe that the government bears an active role and responsibility on how wealth and income are generated and distributed. With the rapid increase in income inequality in a number of the ...
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Many believe that the government bears an active role and responsibility on how wealth and income are generated and distributed. With the rapid increase in income inequality in a number of the advanced democracies, it has now become a concern on whether or not this should be considered as a threat. This chapter first examines what types of equality brings concern to the people. An outline of a normative theory of legitimacy which roots regime legitimacy in the satisfaction of an “interest tracking” condition and a political theory suggesting how income inequality can weaken democratic rule is then given.Less
Many believe that the government bears an active role and responsibility on how wealth and income are generated and distributed. With the rapid increase in income inequality in a number of the advanced democracies, it has now become a concern on whether or not this should be considered as a threat. This chapter first examines what types of equality brings concern to the people. An outline of a normative theory of legitimacy which roots regime legitimacy in the satisfaction of an “interest tracking” condition and a political theory suggesting how income inequality can weaken democratic rule is then given.
Valerie Tiberius
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199202867
- eISBN:
- 9780191707988
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199202867.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This concluding chapter begins with a discussion of the major aims of the book, which are to explore the contribution to living well made by us, by articulating the nature of reflective wisdom; and ...
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This concluding chapter begins with a discussion of the major aims of the book, which are to explore the contribution to living well made by us, by articulating the nature of reflective wisdom; and to show by example how Humean naturalists, who are committed to the empirical contingency of any normative theory, can nevertheless construct a genuinely normative theory. It argues that a theory of how to live that takes seriously the person's own point of view must be a theory that recommends ‘from the inside’ rather than imposing external imperatives. The Reflective Wisdom Account is discussed.Less
This concluding chapter begins with a discussion of the major aims of the book, which are to explore the contribution to living well made by us, by articulating the nature of reflective wisdom; and to show by example how Humean naturalists, who are committed to the empirical contingency of any normative theory, can nevertheless construct a genuinely normative theory. It argues that a theory of how to live that takes seriously the person's own point of view must be a theory that recommends ‘from the inside’ rather than imposing external imperatives. The Reflective Wisdom Account is discussed.
Andrew Vincent
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199271252
- eISBN:
- 9780191601101
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199271259.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This is a controversial book that challenges established views of contemporary political theory. It offers a synoptic, critical, and comparative analysis of the widely different accounts of how the ...
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This is a controversial book that challenges established views of contemporary political theory. It offers a synoptic, critical, and comparative analysis of the widely different accounts of how the discipline developed during the twentieth century. Its ‘nature’ is seen as intrinsically pluralistic and internally divided. The discussion utilizes the idea of foundationalism to bring coherence to the complex practices associated with theory during the twentieth century. Overall, the book aims to dispute current monistic trends in the way the discipline is understood. It will be an immensely useful resource for students of politics, as well as in providing critical perspectives on the future of the subject.Less
This is a controversial book that challenges established views of contemporary political theory. It offers a synoptic, critical, and comparative analysis of the widely different accounts of how the discipline developed during the twentieth century. Its ‘nature’ is seen as intrinsically pluralistic and internally divided. The discussion utilizes the idea of foundationalism to bring coherence to the complex practices associated with theory during the twentieth century. Overall, the book aims to dispute current monistic trends in the way the discipline is understood. It will be an immensely useful resource for students of politics, as well as in providing critical perspectives on the future of the subject.
Hidemi Suganami
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199265206
- eISBN:
- 9780191601866
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199265208.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The author outlines and assesses the contribution the English School of International Relations to theory in the study of world politics by discussing in turn each of three aspects of theorizing: ...
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The author outlines and assesses the contribution the English School of International Relations to theory in the study of world politics by discussing in turn each of three aspects of theorizing: ‘explanatory’, ‘normative’, and ‘international’. Explanatory theory aims to help understanding of how it is that the realm of world politics works out the ways it appears to do, while normative theory elucidates the steps through which some fundamental normative presuppositions lead to conclusions regarding what should be done in world politics. The author uses the term ‘international theory’ in Martin Wight's specific sense of the term as ‘a tradition of speculation about relations between states, a tradition imagined as the twin of speculation about the state to which the name “political theory” is appropriated’. As the discussion progresses, some other senses of the word ‘theory’ are also brought to attention to elucidate the activities of the English School. In sum, the author argues that the English School's explanatory theory is woefully underdeveloped, its normative theory is in need of further reflection, while its international theory offers a useful way of interpreting world politics.Less
The author outlines and assesses the contribution the English School of International Relations to theory in the study of world politics by discussing in turn each of three aspects of theorizing: ‘explanatory’, ‘normative’, and ‘international’. Explanatory theory aims to help understanding of how it is that the realm of world politics works out the ways it appears to do, while normative theory elucidates the steps through which some fundamental normative presuppositions lead to conclusions regarding what should be done in world politics. The author uses the term ‘international theory’ in Martin Wight's specific sense of the term as ‘a tradition of speculation about relations between states, a tradition imagined as the twin of speculation about the state to which the name “political theory” is appropriated’. As the discussion progresses, some other senses of the word ‘theory’ are also brought to attention to elucidate the activities of the English School. In sum, the author argues that the English School's explanatory theory is woefully underdeveloped, its normative theory is in need of further reflection, while its international theory offers a useful way of interpreting world politics.
Roland Kley
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198279167
- eISBN:
- 9780191684289
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198279167.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This book examines the work of one of the most controversial figures in recent social and political thought. Revered by some as the most important 20th century theorist of the free society, Friedrich ...
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This book examines the work of one of the most controversial figures in recent social and political thought. Revered by some as the most important 20th century theorist of the free society, Friedrich A. Hayek has been reviled by others as a mere reactionary. The book offers a clear exposition and balanced assessment that judges Hayek's theory on its own merits. This book argues that the key to understanding Hayek lies in an appreciation of the proper link between descriptive social science and normative political theory. It probes the idea of a spontaneous order and other notions central to Hayek's thought and concludes that they are unable to provide the ‘scientific’ foundation Hayek seeks for his liberalism. By drawing out the distinctive character of Hayek's thought, the book presents a picture of this important social and political theorist.Less
This book examines the work of one of the most controversial figures in recent social and political thought. Revered by some as the most important 20th century theorist of the free society, Friedrich A. Hayek has been reviled by others as a mere reactionary. The book offers a clear exposition and balanced assessment that judges Hayek's theory on its own merits. This book argues that the key to understanding Hayek lies in an appreciation of the proper link between descriptive social science and normative political theory. It probes the idea of a spontaneous order and other notions central to Hayek's thought and concludes that they are unable to provide the ‘scientific’ foundation Hayek seeks for his liberalism. By drawing out the distinctive character of Hayek's thought, the book presents a picture of this important social and political theorist.
Jon Elster
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198280088
- eISBN:
- 9780191599927
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198280084.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Jon Elster surveys and classifies a wide range of literature that informs the study of justice. He positions Michael Walzer's theory of justice in relation to the three main categories into which he ...
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Jon Elster surveys and classifies a wide range of literature that informs the study of justice. He positions Michael Walzer's theory of justice in relation to the three main categories into which he believes studies of justice fall: descriptive, explanatory, and normative. In comparing Walzer's and his own account of the relevance of empirical findings for normative analysis, Elster aims to show that the complexity of the relationship between the two is not accurately captured by Walzer.Less
Jon Elster surveys and classifies a wide range of literature that informs the study of justice. He positions Michael Walzer's theory of justice in relation to the three main categories into which he believes studies of justice fall: descriptive, explanatory, and normative. In comparing Walzer's and his own account of the relevance of empirical findings for normative analysis, Elster aims to show that the complexity of the relationship between the two is not accurately captured by Walzer.
Toni Erskine
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264379
- eISBN:
- 9780191734410
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264379.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter discusses the groundwork for constructing a qualified ethical cosmopolitan position. It maintains that normative International Relations (IR) theory must respond to the attempts to ...
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This chapter discusses the groundwork for constructing a qualified ethical cosmopolitan position. It maintains that normative International Relations (IR) theory must respond to the attempts to challenge the very nature of morality. The chapter distinguishes between two distinct aspects of any moral perspective, namely: the understanding of the moral agent upon which it relies, and the ‘sphere of equal moral standing’ that it allows.Less
This chapter discusses the groundwork for constructing a qualified ethical cosmopolitan position. It maintains that normative International Relations (IR) theory must respond to the attempts to challenge the very nature of morality. The chapter distinguishes between two distinct aspects of any moral perspective, namely: the understanding of the moral agent upon which it relies, and the ‘sphere of equal moral standing’ that it allows.
Amy G. Mazur
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199246724
- eISBN:
- 9780191599859
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199246726.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter covers the aims, arguments, and approach of the book to analysing gender and policy issues in comparative perspective. It defines the new area of Feminist Comparative Policy in terms of ...
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This chapter covers the aims, arguments, and approach of the book to analysing gender and policy issues in comparative perspective. It defines the new area of Feminist Comparative Policy in terms of its six major features, the four major areas of research, and the scientific community and research infrastructure. The six major features of FCP include (1) an applied feminist empirical approach; (2) operationalizing normative feminist theory on democracy; (3) bringing the patriarchal state back in as a question for research; (4) using ‘gender’ as a category of analysis; (5) comparative and qualitative theory‐building in western post‐industrial democracies; (6) one‐way intersections with non‐feminist Political Science. The four major areas covered by FCP policy research consist of the following: (1) feminist policy formation; (2) feminist movements and policy; (3) state feminism; and (4) gender and welfare states.Less
This chapter covers the aims, arguments, and approach of the book to analysing gender and policy issues in comparative perspective. It defines the new area of Feminist Comparative Policy in terms of its six major features, the four major areas of research, and the scientific community and research infrastructure. The six major features of FCP include (1) an applied feminist empirical approach; (2) operationalizing normative feminist theory on democracy; (3) bringing the patriarchal state back in as a question for research; (4) using ‘gender’ as a category of analysis; (5) comparative and qualitative theory‐building in western post‐industrial democracies; (6) one‐way intersections with non‐feminist Political Science. The four major areas covered by FCP policy research consist of the following: (1) feminist policy formation; (2) feminist movements and policy; (3) state feminism; and (4) gender and welfare states.
Toni Erskine
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264379
- eISBN:
- 9780191734410
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264379.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter discusses an outline of the shared ground between communitarian political thought and one branch of feminist ethics. These claim to reject abstraction and impartiality in ethical ...
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This chapter discusses an outline of the shared ground between communitarian political thought and one branch of feminist ethics. These claim to reject abstraction and impartiality in ethical reasoning. The central argument is that this antagonism yields very useful insights for normative IR theory.Less
This chapter discusses an outline of the shared ground between communitarian political thought and one branch of feminist ethics. These claim to reject abstraction and impartiality in ethical reasoning. The central argument is that this antagonism yields very useful insights for normative IR theory.
Laurence Whitehead
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253289
- eISBN:
- 9780191600326
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253285.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
Discusses these two key terms and the linkages between them, as they bear on contemporary experience. The key conclusions are that we need a ‘floating but anchored’ conception of democracy and that ...
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Discusses these two key terms and the linkages between them, as they bear on contemporary experience. The key conclusions are that we need a ‘floating but anchored’ conception of democracy and that democratization is best understood as a long‐term process of social construction. The chapter draws attention to the normative, transformative, and persuasive components of democratization, and to its reflexive and self‐directing characteristics.Less
Discusses these two key terms and the linkages between them, as they bear on contemporary experience. The key conclusions are that we need a ‘floating but anchored’ conception of democracy and that democratization is best understood as a long‐term process of social construction. The chapter draws attention to the normative, transformative, and persuasive components of democratization, and to its reflexive and self‐directing characteristics.
Michael Saward
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199579389
- eISBN:
- 9780191722950
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199579389.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter offers a focused critique of classic and contemporary accounts of political representation, notably those of Pitkin, Mansbridge and Rehfeld. The purpose of this critique is to highlight ...
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This chapter offers a focused critique of classic and contemporary accounts of political representation, notably those of Pitkin, Mansbridge and Rehfeld. The purpose of this critique is to highlight both the advances these and other writers have made and the work that remains to be done (and why it matters). Within that frame, it establishes the need to focus more on what representation does (as opposed to fixing our ideas of what it is); how representative claims pay a constitutive role; why interpretive depth is more important, in the first instance, than normative bite; how we need to downplay typologies and highlight dynamics (‘what is going on’ in representation); why non‐electoral modes of representation need to be taken seriously; and why national state representation should not be the overwhelming focus of studies of representation.Less
This chapter offers a focused critique of classic and contemporary accounts of political representation, notably those of Pitkin, Mansbridge and Rehfeld. The purpose of this critique is to highlight both the advances these and other writers have made and the work that remains to be done (and why it matters). Within that frame, it establishes the need to focus more on what representation does (as opposed to fixing our ideas of what it is); how representative claims pay a constitutive role; why interpretive depth is more important, in the first instance, than normative bite; how we need to downplay typologies and highlight dynamics (‘what is going on’ in representation); why non‐electoral modes of representation need to be taken seriously; and why national state representation should not be the overwhelming focus of studies of representation.
Jonathan Dancy
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199270026
- eISBN:
- 9780191601729
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199270023.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
The book is in three parts. The first part discusses the nature of contributory reasons, set in the more general context of normative theory. It introduces and defends a distinction between reasons ...
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The book is in three parts. The first part discusses the nature of contributory reasons, set in the more general context of normative theory. It introduces and defends a distinction between reasons and enabling conditions, and considers some other roles that considerations that are morally relevant but not reasons might play. It also asks which meta-ethical positions have the tools necessary to capture the role of contributory reasons. The second part uses these results to argue for holism in the theory of reasons, and to construct an argument from that holism to particularism in ethics, which is characterised as the view that moral thought and judgement in no way depend on a suitable provision of moral principles. There is also a chapter on the epistemology of moral reasons, from a particularist point of view. The third part is concerned with the theory of value, in particular with a form of holism there which is analogous to holism in the theory of reasons. There is a final chapter on holism in the theory of choice.Less
The book is in three parts. The first part discusses the nature of contributory reasons, set in the more general context of normative theory. It introduces and defends a distinction between reasons and enabling conditions, and considers some other roles that considerations that are morally relevant but not reasons might play. It also asks which meta-ethical positions have the tools necessary to capture the role of contributory reasons. The second part uses these results to argue for holism in the theory of reasons, and to construct an argument from that holism to particularism in ethics, which is characterised as the view that moral thought and judgement in no way depend on a suitable provision of moral principles. There is also a chapter on the epistemology of moral reasons, from a particularist point of view. The third part is concerned with the theory of value, in particular with a form of holism there which is analogous to holism in the theory of reasons. There is a final chapter on holism in the theory of choice.
Shaun Nichols
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195169348
- eISBN:
- 9780199835041
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195169344.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
A large tradition of work in moral psychology explores the capacity for moral judgment by focusing on the basic capacity to distinguish moral violations (e.g., hitting another person) from ...
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A large tradition of work in moral psychology explores the capacity for moral judgment by focusing on the basic capacity to distinguish moral violations (e.g., hitting another person) from conventional violations (e.g., playing with your food). This method plausibly reveals a capacity for a kind of coremoral judgment. Recent evidence indicates that affect plays a crucial role in mediating the capacity to draw the moral/conventional distinguish. However, the prevailing account of the role of affect in moral judgment is problematic. This chapter argues that the capacity to draw the moral/conventional distinction depends on both a body of information about which actions are prohibited (“a normative theory”) and an affective mechanism that confers a special status on the norms.Less
A large tradition of work in moral psychology explores the capacity for moral judgment by focusing on the basic capacity to distinguish moral violations (e.g., hitting another person) from conventional violations (e.g., playing with your food). This method plausibly reveals a capacity for a kind of coremoral judgment. Recent evidence indicates that affect plays a crucial role in mediating the capacity to draw the moral/conventional distinguish. However, the prevailing account of the role of affect in moral judgment is problematic. This chapter argues that the capacity to draw the moral/conventional distinction depends on both a body of information about which actions are prohibited (“a normative theory”) and an affective mechanism that confers a special status on the norms.
Jeffrey C. Alexander
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195162509
- eISBN:
- 9780199943364
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195162509.003.0013
- Subject:
- Sociology, Culture
Civil society has been conceived in three ideal-typical ways. These have succeeded one another in historical time, though each remains a significant intellectual and social force today. This chapter ...
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Civil society has been conceived in three ideal-typical ways. These have succeeded one another in historical time, though each remains a significant intellectual and social force today. This chapter situates these ideal-types temporally and evaluates them theoretically. It then introduces the analytical model at the core of this book, a model which aims to define the relationship between civil society and other kinds of institutional spheres. Only by understanding the boundary relations between civil and uncivil spheres can we push the discussion of civil society from the normative into the empirical realm. And only by understanding civil society in a more “realist” manner can we lay the basis for a critical normative theory about the incompleteness of civil society in turn.Less
Civil society has been conceived in three ideal-typical ways. These have succeeded one another in historical time, though each remains a significant intellectual and social force today. This chapter situates these ideal-types temporally and evaluates them theoretically. It then introduces the analytical model at the core of this book, a model which aims to define the relationship between civil society and other kinds of institutional spheres. Only by understanding the boundary relations between civil and uncivil spheres can we push the discussion of civil society from the normative into the empirical realm. And only by understanding civil society in a more “realist” manner can we lay the basis for a critical normative theory about the incompleteness of civil society in turn.
Partha Dasgupta
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198288350
- eISBN:
- 9780191596094
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198288352.003.0020
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The main part of this chapter discusses normative considerations on population and savings. It has five sections. The first discusses parental concerns on the well‐being of their children in relation ...
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The main part of this chapter discusses normative considerations on population and savings. It has five sections. The first discusses parental concerns on the well‐being of their children in relation to savings. The second discusses the Genesis Problem (which in its purest form asks how many lives there should be, enjoying what standards), and the Repugnant Conclusion (which, in Parfit's formulation states that ‘For any population of at least ten billion people, all with a very high quality of life, there must be some larger imaginable population whose existence,if other things are equal, would be better, even though its members have lives that are barely worth living). Section (3) questions whether the Repugnant Conclusion is repugnant when applied to comparisons of well‐being in the Genesis Problem, and section 4 argues that the Genesis Problem is irrelevant in real life, which addresses actual problems. Section (5) looks at population ethics. An extra and separate section (designated Chapter *13) gives theoretical presentations on classical utilitarianism in a limited world.Less
The main part of this chapter discusses normative considerations on population and savings. It has five sections. The first discusses parental concerns on the well‐being of their children in relation to savings. The second discusses the Genesis Problem (which in its purest form asks how many lives there should be, enjoying what standards), and the Repugnant Conclusion (which, in Parfit's formulation states that ‘For any population of at least ten billion people, all with a very high quality of life, there must be some larger imaginable population whose existence,if other things are equal, would be better, even though its members have lives that are barely worth living). Section (3) questions whether the Repugnant Conclusion is repugnant when applied to comparisons of well‐being in the Genesis Problem, and section 4 argues that the Genesis Problem is irrelevant in real life, which addresses actual problems. Section (5) looks at population ethics. An extra and separate section (designated Chapter *13) gives theoretical presentations on classical utilitarianism in a limited world.
Richard Seheines, Matt Easterday, and David Danks
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195176803
- eISBN:
- 9780199958511
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195176803.003.0009
- Subject:
- Psychology, Developmental Psychology
Nearly all of the psychological research on human causal learning involves naïve participants; that is, individuals who have not been taught the normative theory in any way, shape, or form. Almost ...
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Nearly all of the psychological research on human causal learning involves naïve participants; that is, individuals who have not been taught the normative theory in any way, shape, or form. Almost all of this research involves single-trial learning: observing how subjects form and update their causal beliefs from the outcome of a series of trials, each either an experiment on a single individual or a single episode of a system's behavior. No work is known to attempt to train people normatively on this and related tasks, and no work compares the performance of naïve participants and those taught the normative theory. This chapter describes such a project. The goal is to determine if formal education about normative causal reasoning helps students draw accurate causal inferences. The chapter is organized as follows. It first briefly describes what the authors' take to be the normative theory of causal reasoning. It then describes the online corpus developed for teaching it. Finally, it describes four pilot studies performed in the fall of 2004 with the Causality Lab, a major part of the online corpus.Less
Nearly all of the psychological research on human causal learning involves naïve participants; that is, individuals who have not been taught the normative theory in any way, shape, or form. Almost all of this research involves single-trial learning: observing how subjects form and update their causal beliefs from the outcome of a series of trials, each either an experiment on a single individual or a single episode of a system's behavior. No work is known to attempt to train people normatively on this and related tasks, and no work compares the performance of naïve participants and those taught the normative theory. This chapter describes such a project. The goal is to determine if formal education about normative causal reasoning helps students draw accurate causal inferences. The chapter is organized as follows. It first briefly describes what the authors' take to be the normative theory of causal reasoning. It then describes the online corpus developed for teaching it. Finally, it describes four pilot studies performed in the fall of 2004 with the Causality Lab, a major part of the online corpus.
John Broome
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199243761
- eISBN:
- 9780191602900
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019924376X.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter considers how far what one ought to do when facing a decision of life and death is determined by the goodness of the distribution that will result. It defines, examines and assesses the ...
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This chapter considers how far what one ought to do when facing a decision of life and death is determined by the goodness of the distribution that will result. It defines, examines and assesses the principles of teleology and consequentialism in ethics. It compares normative theory with axiology. It considers how far a person’s lifetime wellbeing depends on all the wellbeing that comes to the person at times within her life, and how far the goodness of the world depends on the wellbeing of the people. It introduces the idea of pattern goods such as equality and longevity.Less
This chapter considers how far what one ought to do when facing a decision of life and death is determined by the goodness of the distribution that will result. It defines, examines and assesses the principles of teleology and consequentialism in ethics. It compares normative theory with axiology. It considers how far a person’s lifetime wellbeing depends on all the wellbeing that comes to the person at times within her life, and how far the goodness of the world depends on the wellbeing of the people. It introduces the idea of pattern goods such as equality and longevity.
John Braithwaite and Philip Pettit
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198240563
- eISBN:
- 9780191680205
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198240563.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
The upshot of Chapter 2 is that we ought to have a normative theory which will tell us how all the various matters that are settled by a criminal justice system should be determined. We ought to have ...
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The upshot of Chapter 2 is that we ought to have a normative theory which will tell us how all the various matters that are settled by a criminal justice system should be determined. We ought to have a comprehensive theory for assessing issues as widespread as what ought to be criminalized, what ought to be policed, what ought to be investigated, and what ought to be brought before the courts. This chapter is concerned with the nature of the criterion which the theory of criminal justice ought to deploy. There are two very different sorts of criteria that it might try to use, one consequentialist or teleological, the other deontological. It argues that the criterion ideally ought to be consequentialist. It makes the case for a consequentialist theory of criminal justice.Less
The upshot of Chapter 2 is that we ought to have a normative theory which will tell us how all the various matters that are settled by a criminal justice system should be determined. We ought to have a comprehensive theory for assessing issues as widespread as what ought to be criminalized, what ought to be policed, what ought to be investigated, and what ought to be brought before the courts. This chapter is concerned with the nature of the criterion which the theory of criminal justice ought to deploy. There are two very different sorts of criteria that it might try to use, one consequentialist or teleological, the other deontological. It argues that the criterion ideally ought to be consequentialist. It makes the case for a consequentialist theory of criminal justice.
