Book Description
"It's the animal in us," we often hear when we've been bad. But why not when we're good? Primates and Philosophers tackles this question by exploring the biological foundations of one of humanity's most valued traits: morality.
In this provocative book, primatologist Frans de Waal argues that modern-day evolutionary biology takes far too dim a view of the natural world, emphasizing our "selfish" genes. Science has thus exacerbated our reciprocal habits of blaming nature when we act badly and labeling the good things we do as "humane." Seeking the origin of human morality not in evolution but in human culture, science insists that we are moral by choice, not by nature.
Citing remarkable evidence based on his extensive research of primate behavior, de Waal attacks "Veneer Theory," which posits morality as a thin overlay on an otherwise nasty nature. He explains how we evolved from a long line of animals that care for the weak and build cooperation with reciprocal transactions. Drawing on both Darwin and recent scientific advances, de Waal demonstrates a strong continuity between human and animal behavior. In the process, he also probes issues such as anthropomorphism and human responsibilities toward animals.
Based on the Tanner Lectures de Waal delivered at Princeton University's Center for Human Values in 2004, Primates and Philosophers includes responses by the philosophers Peter Singer, Christine M. Korsgaard, and Philip Kitcher and the science writer Robert Wright. They press de Waal to clarify the differences between humans and other animals, yielding a lively debate that will fascinate all those who wonder about the origins and reach of human goodness.
Customer Reviews:
Plausible.......2007-09-19
This is a very short book. The main essay has just about over 50 pages. The rest is introduction, some responses, and a closing statement.
Who says that important books need to be long? Possibly it is not all that important, but the main idea is new to me, therefore I am glad that I picked it up, after a recommendation in Der Spiegel.
Let me also say, I don't find the main hypothesis really compelling, in the sense of thoroughly thought through and explained. But I think it is plausible, and as I had been used to think in different directions and categories, this is a new paradigm for me.
Simply put, FdW challenges the conventional view that morality is part of civilization, that morality is a 'veneer' over our animal core, which is generally assumed to be selfish and immoral. He rejects the view that mankind developed as individuals and then became socialites, requiring rules for co-existence. Rather, homo evolved as a social animal and started his career on Earth with a set of rules for social life. I.o.w., the whole question how a human society without a creator can have morality, is superfluous, baseless, a waste of energy.
On the way to this hypothesis, FdW gets into arguments with the 'selfish gene' theory and with the Dawkins direction of neo-Darwinism. My suspicion is, that this conflict is as useless as a goitre (as we say in German). I don't think that Dawkins really meant the gene to be literally 'selfish', hence let's drop this linguistic bickering. (However I am too lazy to look it up in Dawkins.)
Only 4 stars, not because it is not important, but because it remains below its potential. The discussion part is not always to the point.
I am tempted to give an extra star for the foto of Georgia admiring her own reflection in the camera lens. But maybe an Oscar is more appropriate?
Welcome new perspectives on moral theorizing.......2007-09-06
This book is an interesting confrontation between primate research and professional moral philosophers. The aim is to discuss De Waal's attack on `veneer theory', the idea that moral behaviour is not really grounded in our nature but just a thin cultural overlay, but the discussion quickly becomes way more general.
In fact, we quickly see familiar dividing lines appear. Some, like Korsgaard, see morality as based on reason alone, and therefore purely human. Others, like De Waal, see it as primarily based on inborn capacities like empathy, and maintain that we share a lot of our morality with primates.
The truth is probably somewhere in between. Actually almost all the contributors confirm this in some way, but this is obscured by the fact that the authors do not seem to be able to agree on the meaning on the word`morality'.
Semantic confusion and untenable extremes: Nothing new in the world of discussions of morality then? What does make this book interesting, is that this time the discussions are informed by empirical evolutionary research, which means that even the philosophers have to keep their feet on the ground. Apart from the ape-stories being interesting to read, the result is a welcome new perspective on existing moral theories.
Critically Important Research.......2007-08-25
Teleologically oriented theologians and pompous philosophers need to read this book. New empirical research offers dramatic insights as to the how's and why's of the bilogoical origins of human values and morality. The more this book is read and digested, the faster the phony televangelists will disappear from popular and uninformed culture.
Excellent .......2007-07-29
I do not have the required background knowledge to really make a judgment as to the fundamental claim here i.e. that moral behavior, including decision-making is not an exclusively human prerogative but in fact is the natural condition of a wide variety of species for whom cooperatrive and and altruistic behavior can be collectively advantageous. De Waal's critique of what he calls 'veneer theory' the idea that human morality is a thin layer which comes over and above our fundamentally aggressive, selfish nature is I believe, even when one considers humans in isolation, quite convincing.
He brings certain evidence and examples to show that other species' outside the human, including such stereotypically cruel and mean creatures as wolves engage in mutually advantageous group behavior. The question however of the degree of conscious decision involved in this is one not really solved here. Clearly the human capacity for language- use and symbolic - communication extends not only modes of cooperation, but complexities in consciousness. One feels that deliberation and decision in human action work in ways other animals cannot come close to.
Our hertitage deepens.......2007-06-10
Succinct, quotable, accessible and scholarly ( in the best sense!)- Dr De Waal never disappoints.
Book Description
This book seeks to fulfill its title. Thus, first of all it contains cases. Cases are at the same time sources of legal doctrine in the law governing law practice, a mirror of the minds of judges in interpreting what lawyers do, and stories of difficult situation that lawyers confront. This book also contains statutes and rules of professional conduct, as well as source material on ethics and morals. This book covers topics including confidentiality, conflicts of interest, the lawyer-client relationship, and more.
Product Description
Taken from: Ethics and the Conduct of Business, 4th Edition
Customer Reviews:
This was the best book I ever read in my whole life!.......2007-05-04
Ay chiwawa, I love this book!
1 star for the book 's hero.......2007-04-13
Curran, applauds himself! How humble, charitable and self loathsome can a "moralist" who disagrees withthe virtue ethics of thou shalt not actually be as some who right him make Curran to be? Persons who write here like he is a rock in the Roman Catholic Church; when you go against Peter you, divide the sense of Christ's meaning of the Church. Most importantly, when it is a disagreement under the premise of 'thou shall not kill' and the underlying presumption of the human ethic overseeing the birth process when the position taken puts the power ethic at the mercy of Mankind. This is foolish as if the human race could see 100% accuracy the outcome of every life or turn of godly omniscence, that even VIF wouldn't work unless God permitted it to remain a part of the mother.
In all cases, then Curran has at the least distanced himself from the heart of the church, that as a Sacred Heart Priest, which should be first in the life of the priest and in the eyes of the faithful.
A priest is not more a social activist than he is authentically adhering to protect the lives of all, implicit or tacitly 'as if,' and he is deciding for those who are blinded in their sin. Even if he says he would not choose it for himself. Priests are inherent of the Kingdom of God first and social ethics, second. When there was a choice Jesus chose the cross; not the high style road of self glorification, and Jesus Christ could have been made King of the fed crowd of thousands, more than once. He is not the like those pagan gods of appetites, but the God of Heart and Right Judgement!
And then, take the time to pray for him.
We need more loyal dissenters.......2007-03-08
Fr. Curren is always eloquent and always on target.That he should also have been the victim of Papa Ratzi makes his writing all the more relevant for those of us who are distressed that the reforms of Vatican II have been thwarted by the Curialists. I must read for any reform minded Catholic.
ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTANDING THE REALITY AND THE SPIRIT OF OUR TIMES AS A PILGRIM CHURCH TRAVELING IN AMERICA TO THE KINGDOM.......2007-01-28
The learned and respected and courageous Catholic priest the Reverend Father Charles Curran, ordained in Rome in 1958, one of the most respected writers, scholars and teachers of CAtholic moral theology, here collects his autobiographical thoughts, as this book is subtitled Memoir of a Catholic Theologian.
This book is necessary reading and meditation for every Roman Catholic practicing in America today, to understand our journey as Church on the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, the ultimate goal of our earthly institution, with all of its faults and glories. I highly recommend especially the final chapters, after he was written all that he had to say clearly and academically regarding his part in the recent history of the Church, and can then simply let go and do what he does best: teaching and preaching insight into the reality of Jesus Christ and the Presence of God's Holy Spirit immanent amongst us. The final chapters are indeed most instructive and consoling for us, members of a Church ever vibrant and living and struggling to realize the Gospel mission given us by Our Lord, Jesus Christ, to understand the message of Christ in our troubled times of turmoil and of war and other immoralities, and to bring the meaning of our commitment to Christ's Kingdom in our lives and world.
Please read this book with great prayerfulness and respect for this incredibly courageous, committed and intelligent American priest and scholar, and gentleman, as he bears strongly the Cross of our Church in the modern world. We have much to learn from his words, and much consoling comfort to draw here from this deep well of wisdom and grace.
It is so good to read those final chapters, in the increase of peace. May they bring you, too, peace and comfort and strength for the hard road ahead, this trail of tears in our exile. May they draw us all of us together to perceive the action of God working amongst us all, to draw us ever closer unto the eternal Kingdom of peace and justice and nonviolent, compassionate love in God's eternal mercy. As Father Curran courageously loves, and forgives, may we too learn to bear the strength to love, and to forgive, to embrace all of our differences and misunderstandings and deep fallibilities, and transcendentally to bear our Pilgrim Church ever onwards to the ultimate and eternal Kingdom of God under the guidance of the teachings and liberating sacramental presence of Jesus Christ and the consoling Holy Spirit.
Read this book as Lectio Divino, and contemplate carefully its lessons. This greatest of American Catholic Moral Theologians is a wonderful and true teacher.
Pacem in terris.
"Loyal Dissent" or "An Overall and Systematic Calling into Question of Traditional Moral Doctrine"?.......2007-01-15
Like long hair on young men, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Frampton, Rod Stewart, and the actor who played Greg Brady, Father Charles Curran is vying for a comeback on the public stage. Now in his 70s, he attempts to justify himself in "Loyal Dissent" (2006). In his magnificent encyclical on moral theology, "Veritatis Splendor," what did Pope John Paul II have to say about moral theology and Curran's work?
"An Overall and Systematic Calling into Question of Traditional Moral Doctrine" (JP II, 1993) or "Loyal Dissent" (Curran, 2006)?
Without naming names, Veritatis Splendor reviewed errors put forth by Father Curran and others. As per its Introduction, "It is no longer a matter of limited and occasional dissent, but of an overall and systematic calling into question of traditional moral doctrine." Veritatis Splendor applauded those who faithfully responded to Vatican II's call for a renewal of moral theology, while acknowledging that there had also "developed certain interpretations of Christian morality which are not consistent with `sound teaching' (2 Tim 4:3)". The Holy Father beautifully restated the Church's moral doctrine, while critiquing errors: "since Apostolic times the Church's Pastors have unambiguously condemned the behaviour of those who fostered division by their teaching or by their actions."
JP II warned that "Certain currents of modern thought have gone so far as to exalt freedom to such an extent that it becomes an absolute, which would then be the source of values". He also warned that constant teaching on marriage, family, and sexuality was under siege, noting the erroneous, dualistic nature of the attack: "This moral theory does not correspond to the truth about man and his freedom....the body, which has been promised the resurrection, will also share in glory.... A doctrine which dissociates the moral act from the bodily dimensions of its exercise is contrary to the teaching of Scripture and Tradition. Such a doctrine revives, in new forms, certain ancient errors which have always been opposed by the Church, inasmuch as they reduce the human person to a `spiritual' and purely formal freedom.... body and soul are inseparable: in the person, in the willing agent and in the deliberate act, they stand or fall together ". JP II reassured us of "the immutability of the natural law" and "the existence of `objective norms of morality' valid for all people of the present and the future, as for those of the past."
Recalling Vatican II, JP II reminded us that we must properly form our conscience: "As the Council affirms: `In forming their consciences the Christian faithful must give careful attention to the sacred and certain teaching of the Church.... the authority of the Church, when she pronounces on moral questions, in no way undermines the freedom of conscience of Christians....The Church puts herself always and only at the service of conscience, helping it to avoid being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine proposed by human deceit (cf. Eph 4:14), and helping it not to swerve from the truth about the good of man, but rather, especially in more difficult questions, to attain the truth with certainty and to abide in it."
"Loyal Dissent" (Curran, 2006) Must Give Way to "Loyal Assent" (JP II, 1993).
JP II discussed the genuine renewal of moral theology: "authentic theology can flourish and develop only through a committed and responsible participation in and `belonging' to the Church as a `community of faith'....Moral theologians are to set forth the Church's teaching and to give, in the exercise of their ministry, the example of a loyal assent, both internal and external, to the Magisterium's teaching in the areas of both dogma and morality....the fact that some believers act without following the teachings of the Magisterium, or erroneously consider as morally correct a kind of behaviour declared by their Pastors as contrary to the law of God, cannot be a valid argument for rejecting the truth of the moral norms taught by the Church....It is the Gospel which reveals the full truth about man and his moral journey, and thus enlightens and admonishes sinners; it proclaims to them God's mercy, which is constantly at work to preserve them both from despair at their inability fully to know and keep God's law and from the presumption that they can be saved without merit. God also reminds sinners of the joy of forgiveness....Moral theologians, who have accepted the charge of teaching the Church's doctrine, thus have a grave duty to train the faithful to make this moral discernment, to be committed to the true good and to have confident recourse to God's grace....Dissent, in the form of carefully orchestrated protests and polemics carried on in the media, is opposed to ecclesial communion and to a correct understanding of the hierarchical constitution of the People of God. Opposition to the teaching of the Church's Pastors cannot be seen as a legitimate expression either of Christian freedom or of the diversity of the Spirit's gifts".
"I'll Get on My Knees and Pray We Don't Get Fooled Again" (Pete Townshend, 1971)
After Veritatis Splendor, why do we continue to settle for counterfeits? Father Curran remains best known for the dissent which he orchestrated to Humanae Vitae. Opening Humanae Vitae 39 years later, it boggles the mind as to how anyone - particularly one so blessed with intelligence as Father Curran - could possibly miss that encyclical's prophetic nature. The seamless connections it shows between the Church's teachings on the sanctity of human life, marriage and family, and social issues seem to fly over so many heads. To a significant extent, this is the sad and tragic legacy of Father Curran. Thanks to God's mercy, it need not be his fate: "No absolution offered by beguiling doctrines, even in the areas of philosophy and theology, can make man truly happy: only the Cross and the glory of the Risen Christ can grant peace to his conscience and salvation to his life."
Book Description
This volume contains a rich and varied selection of classic writings in philosophy and ethics through the ages. This volume features selections from Eastern religions, Native America, feminist perspectives, existentialism and environmentalism as well writing from Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, John Rawls, Immanuel Kant, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill and others. For anyone interested in learning about the evolution of ethics and ethical thought in America.
Customer Reviews:
Not Dantes Friendly.......2001-04-17
I purchased this book, brand new, online for the purpose of obtaining the knowledge I needed to take a DANTES test. I found that the book consisted of the writings of philosophers and not narration of the philosopher's beliefs. The anicient writings are incredibly difficult to decipher. I ended up having to locate another source from a library and tossing this book into the dumpster! If I had not gotten the secondary source of information I would have been lost during the test.
Book Description
Legal Ethics combines real life problems, doctrinal and statutory analysis, and carefully edited readings from a wide range of disciplines. Many of the chapters can be used as independent units for courses focusing on ethical problems in corporate practice, tax practice, family law, and public interest law. The new edition also includes extensive revisions and updating to reflect:
• changes in the Model Rules adopted by the American Bar Association in 2002 and 2003
• recent corporate scandals and the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation
• the War on Terror and its impact on issues of lawyer-client confidentiality
• new research on the distribution of legal services and pro bono work
• technological developments that affect regulatory issues, such as internet advertising and non lawyer services
• new Supreme Court decisions and other leading cases on issues such as effective assistance of counsel, conflicts of interest, and prosecutorial misconduct
Customer Reviews:
Ethics and lawyers?.......2007-07-14
Its um, a boring law school book. But other than that, it came quick with no damage and was at my door when I needed it.
Note: There are some interesting cases inside it that people may recognize.
Book Description
This casebook provides detailed information on professional responsibility. The casebook provides the tools for fast, easy, on-point research. Part of the University Casebook Series®, it includes selected cases designed to illustrate the development of a body of law on a particular subject. Text and explanatory materials designed for law study accompany the cases.
Customer Reviews:
Too many questions!.......2005-09-26
I find this book incredibly frustrating. Generally my dislike stems from that the style of the book is highly contrary to how I learn but, to provide more useful feedback, I'll try and be more specific.
The book is divided into chapters, in which there are "problems." A "problem" consists of a short introduction to whatever topic the chapter is on (attorney-client privilege, fees, etc.) followed by a short fact pattern (2-3 paragraphs). Then, the book proceeds in outline format to pose questions continuously, interrupted only on occassion for actual information on what the law of PR is. The questions are all speculative ("what if john had kept the money? what if jane quit her job? what if rule 1.13(c) was considered?") and are plentiful to the point that stopping to consider each one would take hours per reading assignment. Additionally, the questions are rarely answered by the subsequent law tidbit. Finally, while the law tidbits are informative, they are so condensed that they are hard to recall later; after reading a chapter of 50 questions and 25 law tidbits (each with a different important fact or case), it's tough to remember anything but the theme. I should also mention that this is one of the few law books where I regularly (once every couple of reading assignments) find editing errors in the book (words spelled wrong, omitted words, etc).
In summary, the book is a barrage of questions that are largely left unanswered, followed by random instructional passages too condensed to memorize en masse. Working in tandem, this leads me to either take line-by-line notes as I read or to come out of an assignment with a general idea as to the topic but little concrete, specific recollection. I am reviewing this book now because I came online to see if Amazon had a supplement keyed to this book.
My professor -who is very intelligent and I respect- seems to think very highly of the book. So, perhaps it will work well for you. But, the few other students I've talked to who used this book previously have unanimously agreed it is dreadful (for similar reasons as I mentioned).
While Morgan and Rotunda clearly know their material this is not a desirable presentation for many students. I give it 1.5 stars: 1 star for informative but badly-presented content, .5 star because the book is respected by others I respect (but disagree with here).
Product Description
Continuing the tradition that has made it a leader in its field, Problems on Professional Responsibility uses problems to provide an overview of lawyers' professional responsibility. One of the most rapidly changing fields in American law, professional responsibility sees new issues, rules and cases each year, all of which are covered in this book. The Ninth Edition covers the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which were extensively rewritten in 2002, the American Law Institute's Restatement Third, The Law Governing Lawyers, and issues raised by federal agencies that play an important role in determining lawyer standards. Other changes to this edition include more citing authorities fewer black letter questions and issues in each problem to allow more time for discussion and questions; and the integration of readings into discussion materials.
Customer Reviews:
Great purchase experience - no problems!.......2007-01-21
The text was as described with no issues. The delivery was prompt and handled in a professional manner. I recommend this seller.
Amazon.com
Goodness and Advice has the delightful feel of a many-sided conversation. Editor Amy Gutmann contributes an introduction, and there are four commentaries in addition to philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson's centerpieces ("Goodness" and "Advice"), as well as Thomson's response to the commentators. Thomson has perfected the argument by analogy. Her examples, which can sometimes seem apropos of nothing, have earned a reputation for their aesthetic and logical strength. In her skilled hands, when a fictional fellow named Alfred rings a doorbell, he unleashes a swarm of stinging ethical questions: "We may suppose that Alfred's pressing the doorbell caused many other events to occur.... More generally, for a person to act is for a battery of events to occur ... for a person to act is for the world to go in a way that it otherwise would not." Thus, Thomson expertly immerses the reader in the sea of moral philosophy.
Thomson's writing here emerged from her Tanner Lectures on Human Values at the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. The commentary voices of Philip Fisher, Martha C. Nussbaum, J.B. Schneewind, and Barbara Herrnstein Smith add grist to Thomson's mill. Her work in this volume centers on a critique of ethical consequentialism (the view that an action's ethical worth is determined by its consequences) and a draft of a theory about what people ought to do. Thomson's ineluctable reasoning makes for good philosophy that is enlivened by her penchant for hypothetical examples. --Eric de Place
Book Description
How should we live? What do we owe to other people? In Goodness and Advice, the eminent philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson explores how we should go about answering such fundamental questions. In doing so, she makes major advances in moral philosophy, pointing to some deep problems for influential moral theories and describing the structure of a new and much more promising theory.
Thomson begins by lamenting the prevalence of the idea that there is an unbridgeable gap between fact and value--that to say something is good, for example, is not to state a fact, but to do something more like expressing an attitude or feeling. She sets out to challenge this view, first by assessing the apparently powerful claims of Consequentialism. Thomson makes the striking argument that this familiar theory must ultimately fail because its basic requirement--that people should act to bring about the "most good"--is meaningless. It rests on an incoherent conception of goodness, and supplies, not mistaken advice, but no advice at all.
Thomson then outlines the theory that she thinks we should opt for instead. This theory says that no acts are, simply, good: an act can at most be good in one or another way--as, for example, good for Smith or for Jones. What we ought to do is, most importantly, to avoid injustice; and whether an act is unjust is a function both of the rights of those affected, including the agent, and of how good or bad the act is for them. The book, which originated in the Tanner lectures that Thomson delivered at Princeton University's Center for Human Values in 1999, includes two chapters by Thomson ("Goodness" and "Advice"), provocative comments by four prominent scholars--Martha Nussbaum, Jerome Schneewind, Philip Fisher, and Barbara Herrnstein Smith--and replies by Thomson to those comments.
Customer Reviews:
a peculiar book.......2002-12-04
There is a rather peculiar book. Thompson's main goal is to criticize consequentialism but it appears that most consequentialists don't even accept the consequentialism that is her target, namely some kind of view that says we should promote *goodness simpliciter*, NOT goodness for sentient beings, goodness for persons, other states that are intrinsically good or whatever. Thompson has an odd target and even if she refutes it, it's not clear what difference it makes to most other consequentialist theories. (Thompson's view seems like it could be classified as a consequentialism anyway).
Four people give comments on Thompson's main text but two of them are't even philosophers (I think they are from English departments!??). Nussbaum's comments interesting though.
Some of Thompson's articles on these topics are a bit better than this book. I'd recommend checking them out first.
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Ethics & Morality
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong
The Evolution of Morality (Life and Mind: Philosophical Issues in Biology and Psychology)
Our Inner Ape
The Altruism Equation: Seven Scientists Search for the Origins of Goodness
Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives
