Re-Reasoning Ethics

The Rationality of Deliberation and Judgment in Ethics

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Re-Reasoning Ethics by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker, The MIT Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker ISBN: 9780262345644
Publisher: The MIT Press Publication: May 4, 2018
Imprint: The MIT Press Language: English
Author: Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
ISBN: 9780262345644
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publication: May 4, 2018
Imprint: The MIT Press
Language: English

How developing a more expansive, non-formal conception of reason produces richer ethical understandings of human situations, explored and illustrated with many real examples.

In Re-Reasoning Ethics, Barry Hoffmaster and Cliff Hooker enhance and empower ethics by adopting a non-formal paradigm of rational deliberation as intelligent problem-solving and a complementary non-formal paradigm of ethical deliberation as problem-solving design to promote human flourishing. The non-formal conception of reason produces broader and richer ethical understandings of human situations, not the simple, constrained depictions provided by moral theories and their logical applications in medical ethics and bioethics. Instead, it delivers and vindicates the moral judgment that complex, contextual, and dynamic situations require.

Hoffmaster and Hooker demonstrate how this more expansive rationality operates with examples, first in science and then in ethics. Non-formal reason brings rationality not just to the empirical world of science but also to the empirical realities of human lives. Among the many real cases they present is that of how women at risk of having children with genetic conditions decide whether to try to become pregnant. These women do not apply the formal principle of maximizing expected utility (as advised by genetic counselors) and instead imagine scenarios of what their lives could be like with an affected child and assess whether they could accept the worst of these scenarios.

Hoffmaster and Hooker explain how moral compromise and a liberated, extended, and enriched reflective equilibrium expand and augment rational ethical deliberation and how that deliberation can rationally design ethical practices, institutions, and policies.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

How developing a more expansive, non-formal conception of reason produces richer ethical understandings of human situations, explored and illustrated with many real examples.

In Re-Reasoning Ethics, Barry Hoffmaster and Cliff Hooker enhance and empower ethics by adopting a non-formal paradigm of rational deliberation as intelligent problem-solving and a complementary non-formal paradigm of ethical deliberation as problem-solving design to promote human flourishing. The non-formal conception of reason produces broader and richer ethical understandings of human situations, not the simple, constrained depictions provided by moral theories and their logical applications in medical ethics and bioethics. Instead, it delivers and vindicates the moral judgment that complex, contextual, and dynamic situations require.

Hoffmaster and Hooker demonstrate how this more expansive rationality operates with examples, first in science and then in ethics. Non-formal reason brings rationality not just to the empirical world of science but also to the empirical realities of human lives. Among the many real cases they present is that of how women at risk of having children with genetic conditions decide whether to try to become pregnant. These women do not apply the formal principle of maximizing expected utility (as advised by genetic counselors) and instead imagine scenarios of what their lives could be like with an affected child and assess whether they could accept the worst of these scenarios.

Hoffmaster and Hooker explain how moral compromise and a liberated, extended, and enriched reflective equilibrium expand and augment rational ethical deliberation and how that deliberation can rationally design ethical practices, institutions, and policies.

More books from The MIT Press

Cover of the book Elbow Room by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book Men, Machines, and Modern Times by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book Urban Computing by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book Technology and Social Inclusion by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book Renewables by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book Public Sector Economics and the Need for Reforms by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book Late-Talking Children by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book The Moral Brain by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book The The Monstrosity of Christ by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book Reading the Comments by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book The New Science of Cities by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book Consciousness Demystified by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book An Introductory Course in Computational Neuroscience by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book Consuming Power by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
Cover of the book The Consciousness Paradox by Barry Hoffmaster, Cliff Hooker
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy