Contemporary Debates in Social Philosophy

In this important and engaging volume, international scholars present opposing viewpoints to debate ten of the most important issues in contemporary social philosophy.

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• Provides an original analysis of some of society’s most pressing issues
  
• Written by an outstanding cast of international scholars
  
• Issues covered include the nature of freedom, the limits of religious tolerance, affirmative action, parenting, the death penalty, privacy, violence, world hunger, social diversity, homosexuality, and abortion
  
• Invites the reader to participate in the exchange of arguments

Acknowledgments vii

Notes on Contributors viii

Introduction: Virtuous Disagreements in Social Philosophy 1
Laurence Thomas

Equality 17

1 Freedom and Money 19
G. A. Cohen

2 The Meanings of Freedom 43
Leif Wenar

The Family 55

3 The Good and Bad Family 57
Rosalind Hursthouse

4 Family Resemblances 69
Elizabeth F. Cohen

Sexual Rights 77

5 Homosexuality, Harm, and Moral Principles 79
John Corvino

6 Homosexual Acts, Morality, and Public Discourse 94
Christopher Wolfe

Abortion and The Limits of Freedom 111

7 The Fetus in Perspective: The Moral and the Legal 113
Anne Fagot-Largeault

8 Abortion and Moral Repugnancy 122
Laurence Thomas

Privacy 129

9 Privacy 131
John Deigh

10 Privacy’s Value 146
Terrance McConnell

Religious Tolerance 153

11 In Defense of Religious Toleration 155
Philip L. Quinn

12 Does Religious Toleration Make Any Sense? 171
Thomas Christiano

Diversity 191

13 Ethnicity, Disunity, and Equality 193
Lawrence Blum

14 Diversity Limited 212
David Benatar

Racial Integration 227

15 The Future of Racial Integration 229
Elizabeth Anderson

16 When Turnabout Is Not Fair Play 250
Carl Cohen

Scarce Resources 261

17 Moral Issues in Rationing Scarce Resources 263
F. M. Kamm

18 Locke’s Defense of Preferential Treatment 279
Bernard R. Boxill

Violence 297

19 Psychological Violence and Institutional Racism: The Moral Responsibility of Bystanders 299
Howard McGary

20 McGary’s Striking Claim and the Roles of Self-Deception, Acquiescence, and Complicity 312
B. C. Postow

Index 317

"Thomas has put renowned scholars in debate with each other and the result is a collection of stimulating debates of the highest order. In these well-written and argued articles, one is treated to the best of scholarly argumentation. One may not agree with all that is said. Nevertheless, one will find that after reading this volume one will have a better understanding of the importance of what Thomas calls 'virtuous disagreement'."
Bill E. Lawson, University of Memphis“Volume combines practical ethics and political philosophy in a somewhat unusual way; it has quite a lot of reasonable material on race and affirmative action.”
Metapsychology Laurence Thomas is Professor in the departments of Philosophy and Political Science in the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, where he is also a member of the Center for European Studies. He is the author of over fifty articles and four books, Living Morally: A Psychology of Moral Character (1989), Vessels of Evil: American Slavery and the Holocaust (1993), Sexual Orientation and Human Rights (with Michael Levin, 1999) and The Family and the Political Self (2006). His articles on moral theory and social philosophy have been widely anthologized. Contemporary Debates in Social Philosophy offers engaging and original analyses of some of society’s most significant and current concerns, with an international cast of scholars presenting sharply opposing viewpoints across ten debates.

The text begins with an introductory essay that provides an overview of the topics and a discussion of their relevance to social philosophy today. It then moves on to consider a broad range of social and political issues, including the nature of freedom, the limits of religious tolerance, group rights and ethnic identity, affirmative action, conceptions of parenting, the death penalty, privacy laws, world hunger, homosexuality, and abortion.

Ideal for university courses, this text offers a balanced range of opinion and perspective, probes the basic questions concerning the nature of a free and just society, and invites the reader to participate in the critical exchange of arguments.