Ethics without Ontology

by Hilary PUTNAM

Overview

In this brief book one of the most distinguished living American philosophers takes up the question of whether ethical judgments can properly be considered objective--a question that has vexed philosophers over the past century. Reviewing what he deems the disastrous consequences of ontology's influence on analytic philosophy--in particular, the contortions it imposes upon debates about the objective of ethical judgments--Putnam proposes abandoning the very idea of ontology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674042391
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	06/30/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	211 KB

About the Author

Hilary Putnam is Cogan University Professor Emeritus at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Contents Introduction PART I Ethics without Ontology LECTURE 1 Ethics without Metaphysics LECTURE 2 A Defense of Conceptual Relativity LECTURE 3 Objectivity without Objects LECTURE 4 “Ontology”: An Obituary PART II Enlightenment and Pragmatism LECTURE 1 The Three Enlightenments LECTURE 2 Skepticism about Enlightenment Notes Index

What People are Saying About This

Michael Williams

Hilary Putnam is one of the most distinguished living American philosophers, a philosopher whose writings have done much to shape the agenda of analytic philosophy over the last forty years. Much of the interest of this book lies in the way that it illustrates, with unmistakable clarity, how severe a critic of mainstream analytic philosophy Putnam has become.
— Michael Williams, Professor of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University

Editorial Reviews

Putnam provokes us in just the way philosophy should...[He] does not offer a fine-tuning of a particular approach to specific theories. He provocatively heralds a new enlightenment in such a way that will doubtless spark criticisms from those who denounce any further enlightenment in favor of skeptical outlooks. Putnam has presented a viable alternative to the two dominant, though well-worn, philosophical movements of our day.
— Eric Thomas Weber

Journal of Value Inquiry

Hilary Putnam's book, Ethics without Ontology, is written with all his usual clarity and verve. It crystallises some familiar themes of his work in very readable form.
— Christopher Cordner

Philosophical Investigations