The ethical project

Description

Introduction : The shape of things to come Methodological preliminaries -- I. An analytical history : The springs of sympathy : Psychological altruism: basics The varieties of altruistic reactions Some dimensions of altruism Maternal concern Broader forms of altruism? Possibilities of evolutionary explanation The coalition game -- Normative guidance : The limits of altruism Following orders Punishment Conscience Social embedding -- Experiments of living : From there to here Cultural competition The unseen enforcer Some dots to be connected Divisions of labor Roles, rules, and institutions Altruism expanded -- One thing after another : Mere change Three ancient examples Second-sex citizens Repudiating chattel slavery The withering of vice The divine commander -- II. A metaethical perspective : Troubles with truth : Taking stock Prima facie problems Truth, realism and constructivism The sources of the troubles -- Possibilities of progress : The centrality of ethical progress Generalizations from history Problems, functions and progress Modes of refinement Functional generation Local and global progress Ethical truth revisited Residual concerns -- Naturalistic fallacies? : Hume's challenge Authority undermined? Troublesome characters Settling disputes -- III. A normative stance : Progress, equality, and the good : Two visions of normative ethics Dynamic consequentialism Failures and successes From the local community to the human population Equality and the good life Population size Aspects of the good life -- Method in ethics : Varieties of ethical change Method and the good Mutual engagement Ethical debate Dissent and the limits of tolerance The challenger revisited -- Renewing the project : Philosophical midwifery Scarce resources Habits and their limits Conflicting roles Ethically insulated spheres Maintaining equality The challenges of technology -- Conclusion : Summing up.