Essays on Derek Parfits On What Matters

World–renowned British philosopher Derek Parfit′s soon–to–be–published On What Matters is certain to change the face of some of the most fundamental concerns of moral philosophy – including the nature of practical reasons and rationality, and the interpretation of Kantian Ethics and its relation to consequentialism. It will also initiate new debates about the freedom of the will, the nature of moral attitudes and properties, the relationship between prudentiality and ethics, and the significance of desiring. In Essays on Derek Parfit’s On What Matters , seven leading moral philosophers offer critical evaluations of the central ideas presented in this greatly anticipated new work. Authored by a team including Princeton′s Michael Smith, one of the world′s leading meta–ethicists, the papers address a variety of topics relating to Parfit′s work, including his central thesis that the main ethical theories can agree on what matters, and his defense of moral realism.

Notes on Contributors. 1. Introduction ( Jussi Suikkanen, University of Leeds ). 2. Naturalism without Tears ( James Lenman, University of Sheffield ). 3. Can There Be a Kantian Consequentialism? ( Seiriol Morgan, Bristol University ). 4. The Kantian Argument for Consequentialism ( Michael Otsuka, University College, London ). 5. Climb Every Mountain? ( Michael Ridge, University of Edinburgh ). 6. Might Kantian Contractualism be the Supreme Principle of Morality? ( Gideon Rosen, Princeton Univers ity). 7. Desires, Values, Reasons, and the Dualism of Practical Reason ( Michael Smith, Princeton University ). 8. Should Kantians Be Consequentialists? ( Jacob Ross, University of Southern California ). Index.

John Cottingham is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading and an Honorary Fellow of St John′s College, Oxford. He has written numerous books and articles on early–modern philosophy, has published extensively in the field of moral philosophy and philosophy of religion, and is Editor of Ratio , the international journal of analytic philosophy. Jussi Suikkanen is a temporary lecturer in philosophy at the University of Leeds. He recently received his Ph.D. from the University of Reading. He has published numerous articles in international philosophical journals on contractualism and consequentialism, reasons and value, the nature of moral properties, and moral psychology.

“Derek Parfit’s On What Matters is, in many respects, a monumental piece of work.”  ( Ethical Perspectives , 1 June 2013)