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  • Book
  • © 2015

Altruism, Welfare and the Law

  • Provocative and controversial questioning of the established way of looking at welfare/best interests
  • Obvious practical relevance to family and medical lawyers, and of interest to professional philosophers, those interested in the history of ideas, and general readers
  • Accessibly and engagingly written, with swashbuckling contempt for technical jargon
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Law (BRIEFSLAW)

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Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
  2. Introduction

    • Charles Foster, Jonathan Herring
    Pages 1-5
  3. Altruism and Community: A Biological and Philosophical History

    • Charles Foster, Jonathan Herring
    Pages 7-31
  4. Rethinking the Welfare and Best Interest Principles

    • Charles Foster, Jonathan Herring
    Pages 33-52
  5. What Do the Courts Do?

    • Charles Foster, Jonathan Herring
    Pages 53-67
  6. Putting It into Practice

    • Charles Foster, Jonathan Herring
    Pages 69-80
  7. Back Matter

    Pages 81-82

About this book

This book is an assault on the notion that it is empirically accurate and legally and philosophically satisfactory to see humans as atomistic entities. It contends that our welfare is inextricably entangled with that of others, and accordingly law and ethics, in determining our best interests, should recognise the central importance of relationality, the performance of obligations, and (even apparently injurious) altruism.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Charles Foster

  • Exeter College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Jonathan Herring

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access