Sentience and Sensibility: A Conversation about Moral Philosophy / Edition 1

by Matthew R. Silliman

Overview

Sentience And Sensibility is a dialogue that engages a number of issues in moral theory in a rigorous and original manner, while remaining accessible to all. It accomplishes this by means of the time-honored (if presently dormant) medium of philosophical dialogue, in which its characters actively challenge each other to clarify their ideas and defend their reasoning. In this manner the conversation develops and weighs some proposed solutions, in largely non-technical language, to a number of current and traditional moral problems (including the nature and origin of moral value, the moral status of animals, problems of partiality, and other vexed topics).

Everyday ethical matters and moral intuitions are pressing, whereas moral philosophy and theory can seem remote and intimidating. Sentience And Sensibility proposes that these two should meet. The book's characters gently challenge each other to clarify their thinking and reasoning process, and in this rigorous yet personable manner explore traditional and fresh takes on morality. The conversation aims not only to discover thoughtful answers to such questions, but to do so while being respectful of both philosophical theory and ordinary moral intuitions.

Sideheads are placed throughout the margins of the book to help locate passages of interest, while the glossary or "Cast of Concepts & Characters" defines technical terms and offers brief overviews of the philosophers and theories that come up during the conversation. For the specialist or interested student the Appendix includes a formal essay, co-authored with David K. Johnson, clarifying and arguing for the theory of "muliticriterial value incrementalism" developed in the dialogue.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781930972070
Publisher:	Parmenides Publishing
Publication date:	04/28/2006
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	346
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	17 Years

About the Author

Matthew R. Silliman earned his B.A. from Earlham College, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Purdue University (1986). He has taught as a professor of philosophy at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts since 1993, specializing in Ancient Greek philosophy as well as social and political philosophy. He has also served as Editorial Reviewer for the Social Philosophy Today book series since 1987.

Prof. Silliman writes and enjoys gardening, photography, hiking, and bicycling in the Berkshire Hills. He is married to performing artist and playwright Sharon Wyrrick.

Editorial Reviews

Silliman (philosophy, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts) presents an engaging introduction to moral philosophy written in the form of a dialog between "Manuel Kant" and "Harriet Taylor." These characters develop a theory of value incrementalism according to which the value of an object depends on how far it has progressed toward self-consciousness. Thus, plants are more valuable than stones, lower animals are more valuable than plants, and higher animals are more valuable than lower animals. Human beings, with full self-consciousness, rank highest. Silliman does not mean by this that humans have no duties to entities lower on the scale; to the contrary, he believes everything has "moral considerability" as its level of complexity warrants. Working from this theory, Silliman discusses abortion, environmentalism, and vegetarianism. He posits that morality is based on human sentiments—it is not "out there in the world" completely independent of human beings. By no means, though, does this imply moral relativism. Valuable supplementary reading in courses on ethics; recommended for larger collections.
—David Gordon

Library Journal