The Guise of the Good: A Philosophical History

Description

This is the first book to trace the doctrine of the guise of the good throughout the history of Western philosophy. It offers a chronological narrative exploring how the doctrine was formulated, the arguments for and against it, and the broader role it played in the thought of different philosophers. In recent years there has been a rich debate about whether value judgment or value perception must form an essential part of mental states such as emotions and desires, and whether intentional actions must always be done for reasons that seem good to the agent. This has sparked new theoretical interest in the classical doctrine of the guise of the good: whenever we desire (to do) something, we see it under the guise of the good; that is, we conceive of what we desire as good, desirable, or justified by reasons, in some way or another. This book offers a systematic historical treatment of the guise of the good. The chapters span from Ancient and Medieval philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas), through the early modern period (Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, and Kant) and up to Elizabeth Anscombe's rediscovery in the 20th century after a period of relative neglect. Together they demonstrate how history can offer potential new models of the guise of the good—or new arguments against it—as well as to give a sense of how the guise of the good can bear on other philosophical issues. The Guise of the Good: A Philosophical History is an excellent resource for scholars and students working on the history of ethics, philosophy of action, and practical reason. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Contents Preface Acknowledgements 1 Introduction The Project Interrogating Philosophers and Their Work Variations on a Theme 1. What the Guise of the Good Is About 2. The Good 3. Objective and Subjective 4. Appearing Under the Guise 5. Questions of Form, Status, and Scope Overview of the Book Notes 2 Socrates and Plato Introduction The Guise of the Good and Socratic Intellectualism What Version(s) of the Guise of the Good Did Plato Endorse? Conclusion Notes 3 Aristotle and the Stoics Introduction Aristotle’s Classification of Desires Aristotle’s Guise of the Good and the “Discovery” of Akrasia Aristotelian Arguments for the Guise of the Good? Coda. Stoicism: A Streamlined Guise of the Good Conclusion Notes 4 The Canon in Christian Philosophy Introduction Prologue: Augustine and the Pears Aquinas’ Guise of the Good An Argument for the Guise of the Good The Guise of the Good, Moral Theory, and Akrasia Conclusion Notes 5 The Canon Doubted and Reaffirmed (1300–1600) Introduction Cracks in the Canon: Duns Scotus The Canon Disrupted: Ockham Suárez: The Canon Reaffirmed Conclusion Notes 6 Descartes and Spinoza: Revision and Rejection Introduction Cartesian Ambiguities Spinoza: The Scholium Argument Conclusion Notes 7 Empiricism: The Guise of the Good Between Desire and Pleasure Introduction Hobbes: An Empiricist Rejection of the Guise of the Good Locke: An Empiricist Revision of the Guise of the Good The Guise of the Good and Early Modern Political Philosophy Conclusion Notes 8 The Guise of the Good in Hume and Kant Introduction Hume: A Sentimentalist Guise of the Good Kant and the Old Formula Forbidden Desires and Diabolical Wills Conclusion Notes 9 After Kant, Before Anscombe Introduction Hegel: The Guise of the Good and the Dialectic of the Will Mill: The Guise in the Proof Nietzsche: The Guise as Disguise Brentano: The Guise as a Mode of Consciousness Conclusion Notes 10 Epilogue: A Fresh Start Introduction Anscombe’s Guise of the Good An Anscombean Argument Conclusion Notes List of Claims Bibliography Index