Lectures on the History of Moral Philosophy by John Rawls (PDF)

Description

The premier political philosopher of his day, John Rawls, in three decades of teaching at Harvard, has had a profound influence on the way philosophical ethics is approached and understood today. This book brings together the lectures that inspired a generation of students–and a regeneration of moral philosophy. It invites readers to learn from the most noted exemplars of modern moral philosophy with the inspired guidance of one of contemporary philosophy’s most noteworthy practitioners and teachers.Central to Rawls’s approach is the idea that respectful attention to the great texts of our tradition can lead to a fruitful exchange of ideas across the centuries. In this spirit, his book engages thinkers such as Leibniz, Hume, Kant, and Hegel as they struggle in brilliant and instructive ways to define the role of a moral conception in human life. The lectures delineate four basic types of moral reasoning: perfectionism, utilitarianism, intuitionism, and–the ultimate focus of Rawls’s course–Kantian constructivism. Comprising a superb course on the history of moral philosophy, they also afford unique insight into how John Rawls has transformed our view of this history.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐In his seminal work “A Theory of Justice,” philosopher John Rawls developed a “Veil of Ignorance” theory. He postulated that a person can’t participate in drawing up a fair social contract unless he or she has no idea what their place will be in the resulting society. This is an elegant barrier to the double standard. For example, a person that believes in having slaves but not in being one might argue for legitimizing slavery in the social contract, but putting him behind a veil of ignorance (where he doesn’t know whether he’s going to end up being the slave or the slave owner) is a great leveler.Impressed by his thinking, I wanted to read more of his work. To be fair, my 3-Star review probably only proves I should have started with the Cliff’s Notes. These “Lectures on the History of Moral Philosophy” may constitute a profound contribution to the subject, but they’re too deep for me. To illustrate, here’s the author on Immanuel Kant’s objections to Leibnitz’s conception of freedom (are you already lost?):”The first and most basic objection derives from Leibnitz’s metaphysical perfectionism. As we have seen, this is a form of heteronomy and incompatible with the idea of free constructive practical reason. Kant’s idea of the moral law as a law of autonomy should not be thought of as true of a prior and antecedent order of moral values. Rather, the supremacy of reason means that the moral law itself must be a law freedom.” page 278In summary, if you have a sufficiently powerful interest in the history and concepts of Western Moral philosophy (as distinct from Political Philosophy) this is probably a must-have book. In my case it turned out to be home-pregnancy test equivalent of a test of my own intellectual capacity. Sadly, I didn’t pass.

⭐I love the feel. Every woman at REI, I’m told, wears this particular shoe for comfortable work shoe, while standing all day. That is a big seller. “Platform” seems high, while far more comfortable than the one other Hoka One One that they have on shelf at REI. My hesitation in buying is the colors! Yikes! Great if you wear “outfits,” I am a one shoe for most casual occasions. This time we are going to Africa and we are told to wear earth colors so almost everything I purchased is beige/tan with some forrest greens though there are probably zero green plants my height. I am torturing whether to purchase even the grey one with the pink sole. Plus I never wear great. I need backpacking brown or tan, or Africa Sand. That is a lovely color name. I am 72 and still prefer shoes just about the color of my feet so that they go with absolutely everything. Even the navy color is unsuitable but would be good with blue jeans. Just one or two neutral colors? The comfort (and short on time to break them in) is going to make me buy those shoes via internet.

⭐It was for a friend and she loves it.

⭐The book is excellent if one wants to learn more about moral philosophy and its history. It arrived in good time and in excellent condition.

⭐With thirty years of lecturing at Harvard University behind him, John Rawls was, and still is, the man you want to go when it comes to learning more about the philosophy or morals and ethics. Written in first person and collected from years of actual lectures, Lectures on the History of Moral Philosophy truly does read like an engaging class lecture; this style makes a very weighty topic easily accessible to all levels of students, whether they are students of philosophy or students of life.Rawls covers everything from the power of choice to rational intuitionism to justice as an artificial virtue and uses classic philosophers like Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, David Hume, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, and Immanuel Kant to enforce his examination of moral philosophy. It is clear why he is considered to be the best when it comes to teaching this subject. Not only does he respect the ideas of past generations, he also contributes a great deal to the contemporary dialogue.If you are interested in moral philosophy on any level, this is a must-read work. The tone and subject matter will draw you in, the questions posed by Rawls throughout will make you think, and you will finish the book with a greater understanding of how the world works. Would you have the interest in more readings on morality and don’t mind something on the longer side, I recommend

⭐by philosopher Richard Garner.

⭐The book is derived from the undergraduate lecture courses Rawls gave at Harvard from the late sixties until the end of his career. Very few in our society have more insight into this complex and challenging period. The book begins with an exigesis of Hume’s moral philosophy – its sources and its meaning. The bulk of the book is then, as one would expect, devoted to Kant. The book closes with a study of Hegel. Along the way, all the major schools of moral thought in Europe, especially England, during the era are discussed.Although I cannot agree with the previous reviewer that Rawls writes`”beautifully” (in fact, I would respectfully suggest that Rawls’ literary shortcomings significantly limited the readership of A Theory of Justice, though I would not know how else it could have been written), he thinks magnificently. Rawls was, above all, a profound student of those he calls “the exemplars” of moral theory, and specifically of this period, which is perhaps why he is simply the BEST teacher of this material. His insights into Hume, Leibniz, Kant, and Hegel will forever change your way of reading these giants. Rawls displays bona-fide, hard-earned insight.Because Rawls thinks and writes in a way the encompasses a plurality of levels of explanation and speculation, the study is as enriching for the professional as for the student with modicum of basic knowledge. If you read one book on this subject, read this one. Also, Rawls is very good about documenting his sources, which really helps if you desire to go further.

⭐The print quality is uneven and generally faded. Someone has outlined a section of text on page 140 withappears to be a pen, yet in fact these marks were printed into the page – or rather photocopied.I had heard that many books on Amazon are forgeries. Now that I have been bitten, I will buy no morebooks here.

⭐libro eccellente e adeguato per comprendere la storia della filosofia morale. Rawls sempre chiaro ed esaustivo come pochi altri autori.I read all the John Rawls that Amazon had to offer because he seemed to want to establish a philosophy of morals not founded on religion.He may have succeeded for philosophers but I found view unsatisfactory. I felt in the end that he was writing about the moral philosophy of politics, not so much about an individual philosophy.A fresher breath of air and a better treatment was Sam Harris, “The Moral Landscape” also available at Amazon.

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