Kant and Applied Ethics: The Uses and Limits of Kants Practical Philosophy

For better or worse, Immanuel Kant casts a long shadow over contemporary Western thought. The philosophical and historical importance of Kant′s ethics can hardly be overestimated, yet Kant′s his legacy for the wide variety of issues in applied ethics still hashas still not been fully and fairly appreciated. In Kant and Applied Ethics , Matthew C. Altman takes a comprehensive look at Kant′s moral philosophy as it relates to the most consequential important – and controversial – ethical discussions of our time, including same–sex marriage, corporate responsibility, physician–assisted suicide, health–care allocation, and abortion. This book explains how, by coming to grips with Kant′s legacy, we can begin to work through these debates more productively. Matthew C. Altman addresses both the strengths and weaknesses of Kant′s ethics, demonstrating the value of his approach for making informed judgments – Kant′s emphasis on freedom, dignity, and mutual respect is particularly compelling – while identifying the ways in which Kantian presuppositions lead us astray or restrict our vision. By coming to grips with Kant′s legacy, Altman shows, we can begin to work through these contemporary debates more productively. Kant and Applied Ethics not only makes a significant an important contribution to Kant scholarship, but also illuminates the vital moral parameters of some of our thorniest social and political controversies the most important ethical issues of our time.

Preface vi Note on Sources and Key to Abbreviations viii Introduction: Why Kant Now 1 Part I. Applying Kant’s Ethics 11 1. Animal Suffering and Moral Character 13 2. Kant’s Strategic Importance for Environmental Ethics 45 3. Moral and Legal Arguments for Universal Health Care 71 4. The Scope of Patient Autonomy 90 Part II. Kantian Arguments against Kant’s Conclusions 115 5. Subjecting Ourselves to Capital Punishment 117 6. Same–Sex Marriage as a Means to Mutual Respect 139 Part III. Limitations of Kant’s Theory 165 7. Consent, Mail–Order Brides, and the Marriage Contract 167 8. Individual Maxims and Social Justice 194 9. The Decomposition of the Corporate Body 217 10. Becoming a Person 241 Conclusion: Emerging from Kant’s Long Shadow 283 Bibliography 289 Index 311

Matthew C. Altman is an assistant professor of philosophy and director of the William O. Douglas Honors College at Central Washington University. He is the author of A Companion to Kant′s "Critique of Pure Reason" (2008) as well as many articles in ethics, applied ethics, social/political philosophy, and the history of philosophy.

“This is a competent, clear, and evenhanded assessment of the relevance of Kant’s thought for current moral debates.  Summing Up: Recommended.  Lower–level undergraduates through researchers/faculty.”  ( Choice , 1 October 2012) “Kant and Applied Ethics is a stimulating attempt to assess the relevance of Kantian theory for contemporary moral problems. Kantian moral philosophers will find much to disagree with, but there is no doubt that the book raises important puzzles for Kantian moral theory. Those unpersuaded by Kantian theory may find ammunition to use against Kantianism. Those who wish to defend Kant′s theory may find a helpful formulation of some serious challenges to Kant′s moral philosophy.”  ( Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews , 30 June 2012)