The ethical project PDF
Preview The ethical project
The Ethical Project The Ethical Project Philip Kitcher Harvard University Press Cambridge, Massachusetts • London, Eng land 2011 Copyright © 2011 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Kitcher, Philip, 1947- The ethical project / Philip Kitcher. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 978- 0- 674- 06144- 6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Ethics, Evolutionary. I. Title. BJ1311.K53 2011 171'.7—dc22 2010051684 For A.G.P.K. Contents Introduction 1 §1. The Shape of Things to Come 1 §2. Methodological Preliminaries 9 I. An Analytical History 1. The Springs of Sympathy 17 §3. Psychological Altruism: Basics 17 §4. The Varieties of Altruistic Reactions 25 §5. Some Dimensions of Altruism 31 §6. Maternal Concern 35 §7. Broader Forms of Altruism? 42 §8. Possibilities of Evolutionary Explanation 47 §9. The Co ali tion Game 57 2. Normative Guidance 67 §10. The Limits of Altruism 67 §11. Following Orders 74 §12. Punishment 87 §13. Conscience 92 §14. Social Embedding 96 viii Contents 3. Experiments of Living 104 §15. From There to Here 104 §16. Cultural Competition 107 §17. The Unseen Enforcer 111 §18. Some Dots to Be Connected 115 §19. Divisions of Labor 122 §20. Roles, Rules, and Institutions 125 §21. Altruism Expanded 131 4. One Thing after Another? 138 §22. Mere Change? 138 §23. Three Ancient Examples 140 §24. Second- Sex Citizens 145 §25. Repudiating Chattel Slavery 153 §26. The Withering of Vice 162 §27. The Divine Commander 166 II. A Metaethical Perspective 5. Troubles with Truth 173 §28. Taking Stock 173 §29. Prima Facie Problems 178 §30. Truth, Realism and Constructivism 186 §31. The Sources of the Troubles 193 6. Possibilities of Progress 209 §32. The Centrality of Ethical Progress 209 §33. Generalizations from History 213 §34. Problems, Functions and Progress 218 §35. Modes of Refi nement 229 §36. Functional Generation 237 §37. Local and Global Progress 242 §38. Ethical Truth Revisited 245 §39. Residual Concerns 249 7. Naturalistic Fallacies? 253 §40. Hume’s Challenge 253 §41. Authority Undermined? 263 Contents (cid:2) ix §42. Troublesome Characters 269 §43. Settling Disputes 280 III. A Normative Stance 8. Progress, Equality, and the Good 285 §44. Two Visions of Normative Ethics 285 §45. Dynamic Consequentialism 288 §46. Failures and Successes 294 §47. From the Local Community to the Human Population 302 §48. Equality and the Good Life 311 §49. Population Size 318 §50. Aspects of the Good Life 324 9. Method in Ethics 330 §51. Varieties of Ethical Change 330 §52. Method and the Good 338 §53. Mutual Engagement 342 §54. Ethical Debate 349 §55. Dissent and the Limits of Tolerance 355 §56. The Challenger Revisited 360 10. Renewing the Project 370 §57. Philosophical Midwifery 370 §58. Scarce Resources 374 §59. Habits and Their Limits 381 §60. Confl icting Roles 385 §61. Ethically Insulated Spheres 391 §62. Maintaining Equality 396 §63. The Challenges of Technology 401 Conclusion 409 §64. Summing Up 409 Ac know ledg ments 411 Index 417
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