Ethics for Adversaries – The Morality of Roles in Public & Professional Life - Hardcover

Applbaum, Arthur Isak

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691007128 ISBN 13: 9780691007120

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 1999

Synopsis

This text is a philosophical inquiry into arguments that are offered to defend seemingly wrongful actions performed by those who occupy what Montaigne called "necessary office". To justify acts adversaries appeal to arguments such as, the rules of the game, fair play, social construction of actions and actors, good outcomes in equilibrium and the legitimate authority of institutions. It examines the career of Charles-Henri Sanson, who is appointed executioner of Paris by Louis XVI and serves the punitive needs of the "ancien regime" for decades. Come the French Revolution, he became the king's executioner. By exploring this extraordinary role and the arguments that can be offered in its defense, the author raises doubts about arguments in defense of less sanguinary professions and their practices.

About this title

About the Author

Arthur Isak Applbaum is Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Director of Graduate Fellowships in the Harvard University Program in Ethics and the Professions.

From the Back Cover

"This is an important and original contribution to moral philosophy and, in particular, to professional ethics. The argument is rigorous and well developed and the book is written with energy, flair, wit, and grace."--Alan Wertheimer, University of Vermont

"This is a brilliant approach to the vexing questions about ethical requirements of certain leading professions. No serious treatment of these issues will be able to proceed without considering Applbaum's thorough and pointed arguments. This book is, on the one hand, literate, witty and fun to read, and on the other, rigorous, careful, and technical when the argument requires it."--David Estlund, Brown University

"Ethics for Adversaries is a pathbreaking book. With a rare combination of rigorous theory and relevant examples, Arthur Applbaum presents a fair-minded and hard-hitting critique of professional ethics. He dissects the best arguments in favor of relaxing moral standards for lawyers, politicians, and adversaries in competitive practices of all kinds, and perceptively exposes their fundamental flaws."--Amy Gutmann, Princeton University

From the Inside Flap

"This is an important and original contribution to moral philosophy and, in particular, to professional ethics. The argument is rigorous and well developed and the book is written with energy, flair, wit, and grace."--Alan Wertheimer, University of Vermont

"This is a brilliant approach to the vexing questions about ethical requirements of certain leading professions. No serious treatment of these issues will be able to proceed without considering Applbaum's thorough and pointed arguments. This book is, on the one hand, literate, witty and fun to read, and on the other, rigorous, careful, and technical when the argument requires it."--David Estlund, Brown University

"Ethics for Adversaries is a pathbreaking book. With a rare combination of rigorous theory and relevant examples, Arthur Applbaum presents a fair-minded and hard-hitting critique of professional ethics. He dissects the best arguments in favor of relaxing moral standards for lawyers, politicians, and adversaries in competitive practices of all kinds, and perceptively exposes their fundamental flaws."--Amy Gutmann, Princeton University

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691007128
• ISBN 13: 9780691007120
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288