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Universalizability

A Study in Morals and Metaphysics

  • Book
  • © 1979

Overview

Authors:
  1. Włodzimierz Rabinowicz

    1. Philosophy Department, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

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Part of the book series: Synthese Library (SYLI, volume 141)

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Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages 1-10
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  2. Introduction

    1. Introduction

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 11-32

  3. Theory of Universalistic Conditions

    1. Questions

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 33-39

    2. Answers

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 40-58

    3. Formalities

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 59-69

  4. Universalizability and Automorphisms

    1. Introductory Remarks

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 71-76

    2. Theory of Automorphisms

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 77-94

    3. Morality Without Purity

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 95-112

  5. Beyond Similarity

    1. The Universalizability Dilemma

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 113-120

    2. Universal Aspects

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 121-127

    3. Universality and Relevance

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 128-135

    4. Universality and Universalizability

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 136-139

    5. Extensions of Leibnizianism

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 140-150

  6. Individuals Do Not Matter

    1. Universalizability in Morals and Elsewhere

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 151-154

    2. Intensions and Extensions

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 155-161

    3. Universality and Intensions

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 162-173

    4. Leibnizianism Once Again

      • Włodzimierz Rabinowicz
      Pages 174-178

  7. Back Matter

    Pages 179-203
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Keywords

About this book

1. 1. The Principle of Universalizability-an informal explication This work is concerned with the so-called Principle of Universalizability. As we shall understand it, this principle represents a claim that moral properties of things (persons, actions, state of affairs, situations) are essentially independent of their purely 'individual' or-as one often says -'numerical' aspects. l Thus, if a thing, x, is better than another thing, y, then this fact is not dependent on x's being x nor on y's being y. If a certain person, a, has a duty to help another person, b, then this duty does not arise as a consequence of their being a and b, respectively. And if in a certain situation, W, it ought to be the case that certain goods are transferred from one person to another, then this moral obligation does not depend on the individual identities of the persons involved. The Universalizability Principle may also be expressed in terms of similarities. Instead of saying that the moral properties of x are essentially independent of the individual aspects of x, we may say that any object which is exactly similar to x, which is precisely like x in all non-individual, 'qualitative' respects, must exhibit exactly similar moral properties. Thus, if two persons are exactly similar to each other, (if they are placed in exactly similar circumstances, have exactly similar information, preferences, character, etc. ), then they will have exactly similar rights and duties.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Philosophy Department, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Włodzimierz Rabinowicz

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Universalizability

  • Book Subtitle: A Study in Morals and Metaphysics

  • Authors: Włodzimierz Rabinowicz

  • Series Title: Synthese Library

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9484-3

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland 1979

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-90-277-1020-8Published: 30 September 1979

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-94-009-9486-7Published: 13 October 2011

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-009-9484-3Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 0166-6991

  • Series E-ISSN: 2542-8292

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 198

  • Topics: Logic

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