Product Description

Philippa Foot has for many years been one of the most distinctive and influential thinkers in moral philosophy. Long dissatisfied with the moral theories of her contemporaries, she has gradually evolved a theory of her own that is radically opposed not only to emotivism and prescriptivism but also to the whole subjectivist, anti-naturalist movement deriving from David Hume. Dissatisfied also with both Kantian and utilitarian ethics, she claims to have isolated a special form of evaluation that predicates goodness and defect only to living things considered as such: she finds this form of evaluation in moral judgements. Her vivid discussion ranges over topics such as practical rationality, erring conscience, and the relation between virtue and happiness, ending with a critique of Nietzsche's immoralism. Natural Goodness is the long-awaited exposition of a highly original approach to moral philosophy, representing a fundamental break away from the assumptions of recent debates. Foot challenges many prominent philosophical arguments and attitudes; hers is not, however, a work of dry theory, but full of life and feeling, written for anyone intrigued by the deepest questions about goodness and human life. This beautifully written book offers a new beginning for moral philosophy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105518 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-21
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .1 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Review
`The organization of the book is admirably clear.' Philosophical Investigations

`... a short and beautifully pellucid philosophical study' John Bayley, TLS

`Philippa Foot's approach represents a fundamental break from the assumptions of recent debates, challenges prominent arguments about 'goodness' and human life, and argues that moral goodness should be understood as the natural flourishing of humans as living beings' Journal of Contemporary Religion

`One of the most fascinating ideas in ancient philosophy - that there is a close relationship between human happiness and virtue - has been largely neglected in modern philosophy. In this highly significant book, Philippa Foot revives that idea, rooting it in an understanding of human goodness as depending on the nature of our species. In more than one sense, it is a work of great integrity. Beautifully and economically written, and powerfully argued, it will become a classic of modern moral philosophy.' Roger Crisp

About the Author
Philippa Foot is at University of California, Los Angeles, and Honorary Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford.