Track My Order
Help Centre
1300 187 187
Likes
My Wish ListsLogin / Join
Booktopia
Australia's local bookstore
Reasons, Patterns, and Cooperation : Routledge Studies in Ethics and Moral Theory - Christopher Woodard

Reasons, Patterns, and Cooperation

By: Christopher Woodard

Hardcover | 18 March 2008 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover

RRP $305.00

$215.80

29%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $53.95 with

 or 

Aims to ship in 7 to 10 business days

This book is about fundamental questions in normative ethics. It begins with the idea that we often respond to ethical theories according to how principled or pragmatic they are. It clarifies this contrast and then uses it to shed light on old debates in ethics, such as debates about the rival merits of consequentialist and deontological views. Using the idea that principled views seem most appealing in dilemmas of acquiescence, it goes on to develop a novel theory of pattern-based reasons. These are reasons to play one's part in some larger pattern of action because of the goodness or rightness of that pattern. Existing accounts of pattern-based reasons usually assume that such reasons can exist only in cooperative contexts.

This book rejects that assumption, and claims instead that we can have pattern-based reasons even when the other agents involved in the pattern are wholly unwilling to cooperate. The result is a pluralist teleological structure for ethics, with similarities to some forms of Rule Consequentialism. Woodard claims that this structure achieves an attractive balance between the two virtues of being pragmatic and being principled.

Industry Reviews

"This is an excellent, sophisticated, thought-provoking book. It makes a real contribution to a central issue in teleological ethics. Anyone interested in teleological ethics will learn a great deal from this book." - . Tim Mulgan, University of St. Andrews, UK

"[The] focus on pattern-based reasons (and also on the pluralist approach) seems to me to be an important contribution to moral theory...Reasons, Patterns, and Cooperation offers a new theory that could be a candidate for the title of most plausible version of consequentialism." - Dr. Rob Lawlor, University of Leeds, UK

"This beautifully concise monograph is an invaluable resource for those interested in pattern-based reasons, cooperation and pluralistic approaches in ethics. The book contains a range of resources for categorizing and evaluating ethical positions, and some tremendously interesting extensions of traditional thought experiments to illustrate the centrality of structural claims to ethics. I highly recommend it." - Dr. Mitch Parsell, Macquarie University, Australia

You Can Find This Book In

Non-FictionPhilosophyEthics & Moral PhilosophyEducationTeaching of a Specific SubjectPhilosophy & Logic

More in Philosophy

Colonialism : A Moral Reckoning - Nigel Biggar

Colonialism

A Moral Reckoning

Paperback

$28.90

We Who Wrestle With God : Perceptions of the Divine - Jordan B. Peterson

We Who Wrestle With God

Perceptions of the Divine

Paperback

RRP $39.99

$34.80

13%
OFF
Ikigai : 43 Japanese words to live by - Mari Fujimoto

Ikigai

43 Japanese words to live by

Hardcover

RRP $27.99

$26.50

History of Western Philosophy : Routledge Classics - Bertrand Russell

History of Western Philosophy

Routledge Classics

Paperback

RRP $39.99

$32.25

19%
OFF
The Prophet : Penguin Classics Hardcover - Kahlil Gibran

The Prophet

Penguin Classics Hardcover

Hardcover

RRP $32.99

$30.25

The Journey : Big Panda and Tiny Dragon - James Norbury

The Journey

Big Panda and Tiny Dragon

Hardcover

RRP $35.00

$31.75

Be Water, My Friend : The True Teachings of Bruce Lee - Shannon Lee

Be Water, My Friend

The True Teachings of Bruce Lee

Hardcover

RRP $32.99

$30.25

The Golden Road : How Ancient India Transformed the World - William Dalrymple

The Golden Road

How Ancient India Transformed the World

Paperback

RRP $39.99

$37.50

The Choice : A true story of hope - Edith Eger

The Choice

A true story of hope

Paperback

RRP $24.99

$23.75

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse - Charlie Mackesy

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

Hardcover

RRP $40.00

$35.35

12%
OFF
The Art of War & Other Classics of Eastern Philosophy : Leather-bound Classics - Sun Tzu

The Art of War & Other Classics of Eastern Philosophy

Leather-bound Classics

Leather Bound Book

RRP $49.99

$36.95

26%
OFF
Meditations : The Annotated Edition - Marcus Aurelius

Meditations

The Annotated Edition

Hardcover

RRP $49.99

$38.75

22%
OFF
Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor E Frankl

Man's Search For Meaning

Paperback

$16.99

Ikigai : The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life - Hector Garcia

Ikigai

The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

Hardcover

RRP $27.99

$22.25

21%
OFF
12 Rules for Life : Antidote to Chaos - Jordan B. Peterson

12 Rules for Life

Antidote to Chaos

Paperback

RRP $22.99

$21.90

Humankind : A Hopeful History - Rutger Bregman

Humankind

A Hopeful History

Paperback

RRP $24.99

$23.75

This product is categorised by