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15 results in Social Philosophy and Policy

Personal Identity
  • Volume 22, Part 2
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    04 July 2005
  • What is a person? What makes me the same person today that I was yesterday or will be tomorrow? Philosophers have long pondered these questions. In Plato's Symposium, Socrates observed that all of us are constantly undergoing change: we experience physical changes to our bodies, as well as changes in our 'manners, customs, opinions, desires, pleasures, pains, [and] fears'. Aristotle theorized that there must be some underlying 'substratum' that remains the same even as we undergo these changes. John Locke rejected Aristotle's view and reformulated the problem of personal identity in his own way: is a person a physical organism that persists through time, or is a person identified by the persistence of psychological states, by memory? These essays - written by prominent philosophers and legal and economic theorists - offer valuable insights into the nature of personal identity and its implications for morality and public policy.

Natural Rights Individualism and Progressivism in American Political Philosophy
  • Volume 29, Part 2
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Jeffrey Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr
  • Published online:
    05 June 2014
    Print publication:
    27 August 2012
  • The essays in this collection investigate two political traditions and their critical interactions. The first series of essays deals with the development of natural rights individualism, some examining its origins in the thought of the seminal political theorist, John Locke, and the influential constitutional theorist, Montesquieu, others the impact of their theories on intellectual leaders during the American Revolution and the Founding era, and still others the culmination of this tradition in the writings of nineteenth-century individualists such as Lysander Spooner. The second series of essays focuses on the Progressive repudiation of natural rights individualism and its far-reaching effect on American politics and public policy.

Human Flourishing
  • Volume 16, Part 1
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    28 January 1999
  • The essays in this volume examine the nature of human flourishing and its relationship to a variety of other key concepts in moral theory. Some of them trace the link between flourishing and human nature, asking whether a theory of human nature can allow us to develop an objective list of goods that are of value to all agents, regardless of their individual purposes or aims. Some essays look at the role of friendships or parent-child relationships in a good life, or seek to determine whether an ethical theory based on human flourishing can accommodate concern for others for their own sake. Other essays analyze the function of families or other social-political institutions in promoting the flourishing of individuals. Still others explore the implications of flourishing for political theory, asking whether considerations of human flourishing can help us to derive principles of social justice.

New Essays in Political and Social Philosophy
  • Volume 29, Part 1
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    05 June 2014
    Print publication:
    30 August 2013
  • Whether it is a result of nature, the consequence of a choice to escape the state of nature, or the outcome of some other process of deliberation, the fact of human association gives rise to recurrent themes in political and social philosophy. The character and requirements of justice, the profile of political legitimacy, and the relationship between the powers of government and the rights of the governed are some of the subjects of ongoing consideration and debate in the disciplines of philosophy, political theory, economics and law. This volume represents a contribution to the investigation of these issues of perennial interest and import, featuring essays whose authors hope to extend, deepen and, in some cases, move in new directions, the current state of discussion.

What Should Constitutions Do?
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    05 June 2012
    Print publication:
    31 January 2011
  • The essays in this volume - written by prominent philosophers, political scientists and legal scholars - address the basic purposes of constitutions and their status as fundamental law. Some deal with specific constitutional provisions: they ask, for example, which branches of government should have the authority to conduct foreign policy, or how the judiciary should be organized, or what role a preamble should play in a nation's founding document. Other essays explore questions of constitutional design: they consider the advantages of a federal system of government, or the challenges of designing a constitution for a pluralistic society - or they ask what form of constitution best promotes personal liberty and economic prosperity.

Liberalism and the Economic Order
  • Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    05 October 2010
    Print publication:
    30 July 1993
  • With the collapse of communist totalitarianism, the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union face political instability and an uncertain economic future. The people of the region are struggling to emulate the success of the West by moving toward Western-style democracy and markets. The essays in this volume address the liberal transition currently underway. Some of them explore the models offered by political theorists to guide the course of reforms. Some discuss obstacles to change posed by existing attitudes, institutions and cultural traditions. Some examine the nature of liberalism itself, and consider whether democratic politics and free-market economics can coexist without undermining one another. Some offer alternatives to specific Western institutions, arguing that in certain cases it would be unwise for the East to follow the West. Addressing the issues from a variety of perspectives, the contributors to this volume offer valuable insights into the nature of liberalism and the problems facing liberal reformers today.

Justice and Global Politics
  • Volume 23, Part 1
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    06 August 2010
    Print publication:
    06 March 2006
  • Since the end of the Cold War, there has been increasing interest in the global dimensions of a host of public policy issues - issues involving war and peace, terrorism, international law, regulation of commerce, environmental protection, and disparities of wealth, income, and access to medical care. Especially pressing is the question of whether it is possible to formulate principles of justice that are valid not merely within a single society but across national borders. The thirteen essays in this volume explore a range of issues that are central to contemporary discussions of global politics. Written by prominent philosophers, political scientists, economists, and legal theorists, they offer valuable contributions to current debates over the nature of justice and its implications for the development of international law and international institutions.

Morality and Politics
  • Volume 21, Part 1
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    04 August 2010
    Print publication:
    09 February 2004
  • Complicating the ancient debate over the intersection of morality and politics are diverse definitions of fundamental concepts: the right and the good, virtue and vice, personal liberty and public interest. Divisions abound, also, about whether politics should be held to a higher moral standard or whether pragmatic considerations or realpolitik should prevail. Perhaps the two poles are represented most conspicuously by Aristotle and Machiavelli. These essays address perennial concerns in political and moral theory and underscore the rekindled yearning of many to hold the political realm to a higher standard despite the skepticism of dissenters who question the likelihood or even the desirability of success.

Scientific Innovation, Philosophy, and Public Policy
  • Volume 13, Part 2
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    04 August 2010
    Print publication:
    28 June 1996
  • Recent and ongoing developments in science and technology - such as the prevention and treatment of disease through genetics and the development of increasingly sophisticated computer systems with wide-ranging applications - hold out the promise of vastly improving the quality of human life, but they can also raise serious ethical, legal, and public policy questions. The thirteen essays in this volume address these questions and related issues from a variety of perspectives. Written by prominent philosophers, economists, and legal theorists, these essays offer valuable insights into the nature of scientific innovation and its implications for our social policies and practices.

Moral Knowledge
  • Volume 18, Part 2
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    04 August 2010
    Print publication:
    13 August 2001
  • Philosophers since ancient times have pondered how we can know whether moral claims are true or false. The first half of the twentieth century witnessed widespread skepticism concerning the possibility of moral knowledge. Indeed, some argued that moral statements lacked cognitive content altogether, because they were not susceptible to empirical verification. The British philosopher A. J. Ayer contends that 'They are pure expressions of feeling and as such do not come under the category of truth and falsehood. They are unverifiable … because they do not express genuine propositions.' The second half of the twentieth century brought a revival of interest among philosophers in moral and political questions. Whether or not ethics can be founded upon a rational basis continues to preoccupy the philosophical community even now.

Natural Rights Liberalism from Locke to Nozick
  • Volume 22, Part 1
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    06 July 2010
    Print publication:
    27 December 2004
  • This collection of essays is dedicated to the memory of the late Harvard philosopher Robert Nozick, who died in 2002. The publication of Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia in 1974 revived serious interest in natural rights liberalism, which, beginning in the latter half of the eighteenth century, had been eclipsed by a succession of antithetical political theories including utilitarianism, progressivism, and various egalitarian and collectivist ideologies. Some of our contributors critique Nozick's political philosophy. Other contributors examine earlier figures in the liberal tradition, most notably John Locke, whose Second Treatise of Government, published in the late seventeenth century, profoundly influenced the American founders. The remaining authors analyze natural rights liberalism's central doctrines.

Autonomy
  • Volume 20, Part 2
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    06 July 2010
    Print publication:
    30 June 2003
  • A central idea in moral and political philosophy, 'autonomy' is generally understood as some form of self-governance or self-direction. Certain Stoics, modern philosophers such as Spinoza, and most importantly, Immanuel Kant, are among the great philosophers who have offered important insights on the concept. Some theorists analyze autonomy in terms of the self being moved by its higher-order desires. Others argue that autonomy must be understood in terms of acting from reason or from a sense of moral duty independent of the passions. Autonomy seems closely related to the notion of freedom, but in what sense: freedom from coercion, freedom from psychological constraints, or freedom from material necessity? Various approaches to these and similar questions yield different implications for public policy. Is capitalism, social democracy or socialism more favorable to autonomy? The essays in this volume address these important questions.

After Socialism
  • Volume 20, Part 1
  • Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    01 June 2010
    Print publication:
    03 February 2003
  • In this collection, twelve philosophers, historians, and political philosophers-scholars with a diverse set of disciplinary and political leanings-assess aspects of socialism in light of its recent reversals. Some of the essays consider what made the socialist project seem compelling to its advocates, examining the moral and political values that made socialism appealing to intellectuals. Others evaluate whether there are aspects of socialism that ought to be preserved, such as its quest for equality and community. Some essays examine whether free-market systems need to be further modified in response to ongoing socialist critiques. Several others argue for the continuing validity of socialism in its social democratic incarnation, suggesting ways in which socialism may still have a productive future. Still others condemn the socialist project as inherently misguided in theory, while also portraying 'really existing socialism' as cataclysmic in practice.

Democracy
  • Volume 17, Part 1
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    03 May 2010
    Print publication:
    13 February 2000
  • The essays in this volume, first published in 2000, explore questions about democracy that are relevant to political philosophy and political theory. Some essays discuss the appropriate ends of government or examine the difficulties involved in determining and carrying out the will of the people. Some address questions relating to the kinds of influence citizens can or should have over their representatives, asking, for example, whether individuals have a duty to vote, or whether inequalities in political influence among citizens (measured in terms of campaign contributions) can be morally justified. Other essays analyze democratic institutions, discussing what role deliberation should play in the democratic process, and asking whether it is legitimate to use laws and public policies to express approval or disapproval of various kinds of conduct. Still others examine the relationship between democracy and value pluralism, or consider the suitability of democracy as a form of government in non-Western societies.

Responsibility
  • Volume 16, Part 2
  • Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr, Jeffrey Paul
  • Published online:
    06 January 2010
    Print publication:
    28 June 1999
  • The essays in this volume address questions about responsibility that arise in moral philosophy and legal theory. Some analyse different theories of causality, asking which theory offers the best account of human agency and the most satisfactory resolution of troubling controversies about free will and determinism. Some essays look at responsibility in the legal realm, seeking to determine how the law should assign liability for negligence, or whether the courts should allow defendants to offer excuses for their wrongdoing or to claim some form of 'diminished responsibility'. Other essays explore libertarian views about political freedom and accountability, asking whether libertarian positions on consent, contract law, and responsibility are consistent, or whether restitution is superior to retribution or deterrence as a basis for a theory of corrective justice. Still others examine the notion of partial or divided responsibility, or the relationship between responsibility and the emotions.