Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

God, Free Will, and Morality

Prolegomena to a Theory of Practical Reasoning

  • Book
  • © 1983

Overview

Authors:
  1. Robert J. Richman

    1. Department of Philosophy, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Part of the book series: Philosophical Studies Series (PSSP, volume 27)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Robert J. Richman
    Pages 1-4

  3. Practical Reasoning, Action, and Weakness of Will

    • Robert J. Richman
    Pages 5-17

  4. The Dilemma of Obligability

    • Robert J. Richman
    Pages 18-30

  5. Was Free Will a Pseudo-Problem?

    • Robert J. Richman
    Pages 31-56

  6. The Fly in the Flypaper

    • Robert J. Richman
    Pages 57-74

  7. Oughts and Cans

    • Robert J. Richman
    Pages 75-93

  8. Unprincipled Morality

    • Robert J. Richman
    Pages 94-119

  9. Beyond Intuitionism — A Step

    • Robert J. Richman
    Pages 120-132

  10. “To Forgive All…”

    • Robert J. Richman
    Pages 133-164

  11. “With God All is Permitted”

    • Robert J. Richman
    Pages 165-181

  12. Back Matter

    Pages 183-195
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

"He [Francis Bacon] writes of science like a Lord Chan cellor" - William Harvey "Don't say: 'There must be something common . . . ' - but look and see" Ludwig Wittgenstein In the history of western moral philosophy since Plato, there has been a pervasive tendency for the moral theorist to wri~e, in effect, like a scientist, Le. to seek completely general prin­ ciples of right conduct. Of late, moreover, there has been an attempt to set forth a theory underlying the general principles, not of right conduct, admittedly, but of justice. To be sure, we are sometimes warned that the principles (which must exist?) may be too complex to be formulated. Also they may not exist prior to action - nonetheless, we are told, they serve as guides to conduct! One inight argue that Baconian inductivism provides one basis for skepticism with respect to a number of familiar epistemological problems. Thus, the skeptic argues, a certain conclusion - say, the existence of another's pain - is not justified on the basis of (behavioral) evidence either deductively or inductively, and hence it is not justified at all. Similarly, I should claim, by establishing an unattainable standard, the search for exceptionless principles may become a source of moral skepticism. After all, when con­ fronted with a supposed principle designed to justify a particular ix x PREFACE action, one can generally imagine a counter-example to the prin­ ciple without excessive difficulty.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Philosophy, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

    Robert J. Richman

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: God, Free Will, and Morality

  • Book Subtitle: Prolegomena to a Theory of Practical Reasoning

  • Authors: Robert J. Richman

  • Series Title: Philosophical Studies Series

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7077-9

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland 1983

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-90-277-1548-7Published: 31 August 1983

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-94-009-7079-3Published: 12 October 2011

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-009-7077-9Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 0921-8599

  • Series E-ISSN: 2542-8349

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 195

  • Topics: Philosophy of Religion, Ethics

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation