The Sources of Normativity (Paperback)

Christine M. Korsgaard

ISBN 10: 052155960X / ISBN 13: 9780521559607

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1996

About this Item

Paperback. Ethical concepts are, or purport to be, normative. They make claims on us: they command, oblige, recommend, or guide. Or at least when we invoke them, we make claims on one another; but where does their authority over us - or ours over one another - come from? Christine Korsgaard identifies four accounts of the source of normativity that have been advocated by modern moral philosophers: voluntarism, realism, reflective endorsement, and the appeal to autonomy. She traces their history, showing how each developed in response to the prior one and comparing their early versions with those on the contemporary philosophical scene. Kant's theory that normativity springs from our own autonomy emerges as a synthesis of the other three, and Korsgaard concludes with her own version of the Kantian account. Her discussion is followed by commentary from G. A. Cohen, Raymond Geuss, Thomas Nagel, and Bernard Williams, and a reply by Korsgaard. Korsgaard's discussion of the source of normativity is followed by commentary from four philosophers. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780521559607

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Sources of Normativity (Paperback)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 052155960X
• ISBN 13: 9780521559607
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Ethical concepts are, or purport to be, normative. They make claims on us: they command, oblige, recommend, or guide. But where does their authority over us come from? Christine Korsgaard identifies and examines four accounts of the source of normativity that have been advocated by modern moral philosophers--voluntarism, realism, reflective endorsement, and the appeal to autonomy--and shows how Kant's autonomy-based account emerges as a synthesis of the other three. Her discussion is followed by commentary from G.A. Cohen, Raymond Geuss, Thomas Nagel, and Bernard Williams, and a reply by Korsgaard.

Book Description

Ethical concepts are, or purport to be, normative and make claims on us. This text identifies and examines four accounts of the source of normativity that have been advocated by modern moral philosophers-SHvoluntarism, realism, reflective endorsement, and the appeal to autonomy.