Whats Wrong with Moralism?

Appeals to morality are back on the agenda in international and national politics. The moral high ground is invoked to justify war, in discussions about waging ′war′ on poverty, and in many other political and social contexts. Despite this, terms such as ′moralism′, ′moralising′ and ′moralistic′ are increasingly used as pejorative terms. This thought–provoking book examines exactly what people mean when they accuse others of being ′moralistic′.

Written by a team of international philosophers, the book analyses what the ′vice′ of moralism might be and contrasts this with a genuine concern for morality. Several of the papers draw upon literary sources, some are concerned with the connections between moralism and philosophical theories, others with the relevance of moralism to politics and political theory, and one with empirical studies that relate to the effectiveness of moral injunctions.

On Moralism: Robert K. Fullinwider.

The Moral Reality in Realism: C. A. J. Coady.

Moralism: Julia Driver.

Moralism and Morally Accountable Beings: Craig Taylor.

A Defence of Prudential Moralism: Benjamin Lovett.

The Moralism of Multiculturalism: Duncan Ivison.

Liberalism, Legal Moralism and Moral Disagreement: Arthur Kuflik.

Index.