Desire, Practical Reason, and the Good

Most philosophers working in moral psychology and practical reason think that either the notion of good or the notion of desire have central roles to play in our understanding of intentional explanations and practical reasoning. However, philosophers disagree sharply over how we are
supposed to understand the notions of desire and good, how these notions relate, and whether both play a significant and independent role in practical reason. In particular, the Guise of the Good thesis -- the view that desire (or perhaps intention, or intentional action) always aims at the
good - has received renewed attention in the last twenty years. Can one have desire for things that the desirer does not perceive to be good in any, or form intentions to act in way that one does not deem to be good? Does the notion of good play any essential role in an account of deliberation or
practical reason? Moreover, philosophers also disagree about the relevant notion of good. Is it a purely formal notion, or does it involve a substantive conception of the good? Is the primary notion, the notion of the good for a particular agent, or the notion of good simpliciter? Does the relevant
notion of good make essential appeal to human nature, or would it in principle extend to all rational beings? While these questions are central in contemporary work in ethics, practical reason, and philosophy of action, they are not new; similar issues were discussed in the ancient period. This
volume of essays aims to bring together systematic and more historically-oriented work on these issues.


Author: Sergio Tenenbaum
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 08/18/2010
Pages: 264
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.10w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780195382440

About the Author

Sergio Tenenbaum is Professor of Philosophy at University of Toronto.

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