Hobbesian Applied Ethics and Public Policy

Shane D. Courtland

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781138691636
• eBook ISBN: 9781315534398
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Ethics & Moral Philosophy

Most philosophers and political scientists readily admit that Thomas Hobbes is a significant figure in the history of political thought. His theory was, arguably, one of the first to provide a justification for political legitimacy from the perspective of each individual subject. Many excellent books and articles have examined the justification and structure of Hobbes' commonwealth, ethical system, and interpretation of Christianity. What is troubling is that the Hobbesian project has been largely missing in the applied ethics and public policy literature. We often find applications of Kantian deontology, Bentham's or Mill's utilitarianism, Rawls's contractualism, the ethics of care, and various iterations of virtue ethics. Hobbesian accounts are routinely ignored and often derided. This is unfortunate because Hobbes's project offers a unique perspective. To ignore it, when such a perspective would be fruitful to apply to another set of theoretical questions, is a problem in need of a remedy. This volume seeks to eliminate (or, at the very least, partially fill) this gap in the literature.

Not only will this volume appeal to those that are generally familiar with Hobbesian scholarship, it will also appeal to a variety of readers that are largely unfamiliar with Hobbes.

Index

abortion 4, 11, 13, 85, 125–43

absolutism 5, 13–14, 20, 23, 48, 64 n46, 141 n40, 144, 181–6, 192, 197, 206, 213 n25, 218, 236, 240, 243–4, 265

alcohol 5, 144–60

altruism 39–41, 43–4, 201, 204

American Medical Association 75, 88 n20, 88 n24, 89 n45

anarchy 136, 152, 156, 181, 207, 254, 258, 261 n14, 262 n23, 263, 264–5, 268, 276–7, 280 n12, 282

appetite 50, 104 n41, 148–9, 201, 210, 268

Aquinas, Thomas 5, 11, 128, 142, 144, 147–8, 157 n17, 159, 183, 254, 261 n20, 261 n21, 261 n22, 262

Aristotle 5, 11, 58, 114, 128, 144, 146–8, 153–4, 157 n11, 157 n12, 157 n13, 159 n52, 160, 164, 183, 267, 275

Ashcroft, Richard 25 n15, 26

Aubrey, John 157 n1, 159, 176 n9, 177

authority 3, 7, 11, 22, 28, 85–7, 117, 126, 136–7, 151, 156, 158 n35, 160, 170, 184–5, 187, 190–2, 194, 207, 212 n12, 214, 221, 223–5, 233, 241, 251–3, 256, 261 n9, 263, 264, 268, 270, 274–5, 277–9

authorization 4, 51, 53, 57, 62 n20, 108, 114, 117, 137, 142 n64, 152, 217–19, 221, 225, 250, 252–3, 257, 259, 261 n8, 261 n9, 275, 277; author 15, 106, 109, 116–18, 130, 136, 273

autonomy 12, 22, 31–2, 69, 77, 81, 104 n45, 106–9, 118 n4...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Permissions
• Editor’s Introduction
• SECTION I Core Issues in Application
• SECTION II Medical Ethics
• SECTION III Local Issues in Applied Ethics and Public Policy
• SECTION IV Political Issues in Public Policy
• SECTION V Group Pluralism and Public Policy
• List of Contributors
• Index