Moral Vision
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Overview
In Moral Vision, Duane L. Cady critiques the contemporary inclination to model reason after textbook natural science, noting that our values are not conclusions of proofs or derivations but frameworks in which such reasoning may take place - frameworks that we struggle to understand and explain. Cady goes on to suggest a rich conception of reason beyond that of stereotypical science, one that reflects aesthetic, historical, experiential, and pluralistic aspects of moral thinking, and one that widens and deepens descriptions of how moral thinking typically happens. This book will be of interest to anyone wondering what philosophy may contribute to our contemporary struggle with conflicting values and value collisions, both personal and cultural.Synopsis
Moral Thinking is critical of mainstream academic ethics for being pretty nearly stuck on Kant and Mill, for neglecting nonviolence (Gandhi and King), for nearly neglecting the women's movement (it is not yet central to most ethics texts and courses), for largely neglecting the anti-racism movement (also marginal in academic ethics), and for almost totally neglecting the anti-imperialism movement. Moral Vision suggests an integrated approach that includes these often-neglected elements and also recognizes aesthetic and experiential dimensions of ethical reflection. This book will be of interest to anyone wondering what philosophy may contribute to our contemporary struggle with conflicting values and value collisions, personal as well as cultural.
Editorials
Choice
Cady draws on I. Murdoch, S. Langer, M. Nussbaum, and the American pragmatists to develop a rich conception of moral vision that includes the goods of pluralism, nonviolence, and coherence…His clear arguments and use of texts would be helpful for students working through issues of metaethical theory and praxis.Star Tribune
There are two things I find frustrating. One is that although I spent a lot of time in graduate school studying ethical theories, I find that they aren't very helpful in trying to resolve real-life dilemmas...The other frustration is that serious ethical disagreements rarely seem to get resolved, and good arguments – or at least, what seem like good arguments to me – rarely seem to change anyone's mind. A new book by Duane Cady...has given me fresh insight on both of these perplexities.— Jeremy Iggers