Persons, Rights, and the Moral Community

by Loren E. Lomasky

Overview

This book provides a complete and convincing account of what rights we do and do not have, who has them, and why. Presenting the foundations of a liberal, individualistic theory of rights, Lomasky explains the place of rights within the overall structure of morality, arguing for the moral importance of individual commitments to and pursuit of "projects." After developing his theory of basic rights, Lomasky demonstrates its implications for a variety of problems and issues, including property rights, the rights of children, and the status of the unborn, defective persons, animals, and even the dead. Arguing for a fundamental reshaping of philosophical ethics, Lomasky develops a credible alternative to currently fashionable views.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195064742
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/26/1990
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	5.49(w) x 8.24(h) x 0.79(d)

About the Author

University of Minnesota, Duluth

Table of Contents

1.	The Use and Abuse of Basic Rights	3
2.	Persons and Projects	16
3.	Projects and the Nature of Ethics	37
4.	The Derivation of Basic Rights	56
5.	Two Concepts of Liberalism	84
6.	Property Rights Within a Liberal Order	111
7.	Extending the Moral Community: Children	152
8.	At the Margin	188
9.	Beyond Basic Rights	228
	Notes	255
	Bibliography	273
	Index	277

Editorial Reviews

"Clear, careful, and well structured, with occasional wit and even passion. Lomasky's arguments are original and important. His book is the only convincing defense, that I know of, of the moderate libertarianism which so often lies undefended and even unexpressed behind contemporary philosophical arguements in applied ethics, political, and legal philosophy. The book promises to inspire other fruitful efforts to advance beyond the shaky starting point of most traditional rights theories."—John Simmons, University of Virginia

"A tough-minded, intricately worked out philosophical argument, in many respects superior to Nozick's well-known libertarian defense. Highly recommended for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses."—Religious Studies Review

"An important event in the philosophical development of classical liberal theory....Readable, entertaining, and far too full of moral truths to be confined to the artificial world of the academic."—Reason

"An important work. Even those disagreeing with its central thesis will find it challenging."—American Political Science Review

"Imaginative and elegantly presented."—The Philosophical Review

From the Publisher