Morality, Normativity, & Society - Softcover

Copp, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195144015 ISBN 13: 9780195144017

Publisher: Oxford University Press USA, 1995

Synopsis

Moral claims not only purport to be true, they also purport to guide our choices. This book presents a new theory of normative judgment, the "standard-based theory," which offers a schematic account of the truth conditions of normative propositions of all kinds, including moral propositions and propositions about reasons. The heart of Copp's approach to moral propositions is a theory of the circumstances under which corresponding moral standards qualify as justified, the "society-centered theory." He argues that because any society needs a social moral code in order to enable its members to live together successfully, and because it would be rational for a society to choose such a code, certain moral codes, and the standards they include, are justified. According to the standard-based theory then, if certain moral standards are indeed justified, corresponding moral propositions may be true. Copp's approach to morality and explaining normativity and the truth conditions of moral claims, raises a number of important issues in moral theory, as well as in metaphysics and the philosophy of language.

About this title

Review

""Copp's views are profound and persuasive, and his work contains some of the best criticisms of competing views as well as very illuminating analyses of a variety of issues. I recommend this book highly for anyone interested in contemporary moral theory."―Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Philosophical Review

"Morality, Normativity, and Society is a fascinating addition to the contemporary ethical discourse....This work refocuses one's attention on the importance of moral progress."―Journal of Church and State

"[Copp's] analyses of moral truth, moral justification, subscription to a social moral code, society, and rational choice are original and illuminating. These contributions alone will make his book a work of lasting importance....It is a great pleasure to read a treatise on morals that does not shrink from the task of explaining how moral standards can be justified without begging the question against the moral skeptic."―Canadian Journal of Philosophy

"...clear, ambitious, fair-minded,...All of it deserves careful study."―Ethics

From the Back Cover

Under what conditions can moral claims be said to be true? Copp's book explores this question, starting from a new cognitivist theory of normative judgement - the "standard-based theory" - which offers a schematic account of the truth conditions of normative propositions of all kinds, including moral propositions and propositions about reasons. According to the theory, a moral proposition is true only if a corresponding moral standard is relevantly justified. At the heart of the book is a theory of the circumstances under which moral standards qualify as justified, the "society-centered theory". Copp argues that because any society needs a social moral code in order to enable its members to live together successfully, and because it would be rational for a society to choose such a code, certain moral codes, and the standards they include, are justified. The standard-based theory says, then, that corresponding moral propositions may therefore be true. Offering new perspectives on reason and rational choice, Copp's approach to morality and normativity raises a number of important issues in moral theory, as well as in metaphysics and the philosophy of language.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press USA
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0195144015
• ISBN 13: 9780195144017
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 280