Читать книгу This Is Philosophy - Steven D. Hales - Страница 18

1 Bennett, Jonathan (1974), “The Conscience of Huckleberry Finn,” Philosophy 49:188, 123–134. A wonderful, lively discussion of the conflict between moral instincts and moral principles.

2 Brown, Donald E. (1991), Human Universals. (New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.). A work of anthropology in which the author argues for an extensive list of universal human traits.

3 Gilbert, Daniel (2005), Stumbling on Happiness20. (New York: Random House). This is a book by a psychologist aimed at a popular audience. In it Gilbert addresses the question of why people are so lousy at predicting what will make themselves happy in the future.

4 Hales, Steven D. (ed.) (2011), A Companion to Relativism21. (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell). A comprehensive review of contemporary scholarship on relativism, with a half-dozen articles that discuss recent thinking on moral relativism.

5 Hobbes, Thomas (1647), Philosophical Rudiments Concerning Government and Society22. Originally published in Latin as Elementa Philosophica de Cive, here Hobbes presents his view that by nature humans are selfish and motivated by survival instincts. This natural egoism in the state of nature leads to a war of all against all, a situation that demands a social contract and the formation of a state.

6 Lawrence, Bruce (ed.) (2005), Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden23. (New York: Verso). The only extant work in English translation of the speeches, interviews, and letters of Osama bin Laden.

7 Montaigne, Michel de (1580), The Essays24. While there is no professional engagement with moral relativism prior to the 20th century, Montaigne’s chapter “Of Cannibals” 25 is a valuable precursor that treats shocking behavior in other societies with respect and seriousness.

8 Plato,(380 BCE), Euthyphro26. The dialogue in which Socrates and Euthyphro discuss the nature of morality, and whether things are good because they are loved by the gods, or whether the gods love them because they are good.