Morality and Public PolicyDescription |
For courses in Applied Ethics, Social and Political Ethics, Introduction to Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy, Government, and Current Affairs. This anthology explores a variety of positions on recent, controversial, social problems-all of which involve government policy. The challenging essays, addressing moral issues inherent in the policies of government, promote students' understanding and thinking about rights and wrongs in public affairs.  |
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Features |
- Wide range of contemporary topics-Includes allowing/encouraging immigration; use of school vouchers; government control over drugs and guns; same-sex marriages; government support of the arts; affirmative action; the death penalty; and the legitimacy of legally restricting the sale of pornography.
- Student-friendly writing style throughout.
- Contributions by well-known writers in the field-Features a brief introduction to each section of writing.
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Table of Contents |
I. SCHOOL VOUCHERS. 1. Justice and the Case for School Vouchers, Joseph S. Spoerl.
2. Parental Choice, Amy Guttman.
3. Rethinking School Choice, Jeffrey R. Henig.
II. GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS. 4. Can a Liberal State Support Art?, Ronald Dworkin.
5. Public Benefits of the Arts and Humanities, Thomas Nagel.
6. Can Government Funding of the Arts Be Justified Theoretically?, Noël Carroll.
III. PORNOGRAPHY AND THE LAW. 7. Pornography, Oppression, and Freedom: A Closer Look, Helen E. Longino.
8. The Feminist Case against Pornography, Joel Feinberg.
IV. SAME -SEX MARRIAGE. 9. Same-Sex Marriage: A Philosophical Defense, Ralph Wedgwood.
10. Is It Wrong to Discriminate on the Basis of Homosexuality?, Jeffrey Jordan.
V. DRUG LEGISLATION. 11. Liberal Neutrality and Drug Prohibitions, Douglas Husak.
12. Liberalism and Rights of Drug Use, Samuel Freeman.
VI. GUN CONTROL. 13. The Liberal Basis of the Right to Bear Arms, Todd C. Hughes and Lester H. Hunt.
14. Gun Control, Hugh LaFollette.
VII. THE DEATH PENALTY. 15. In Defense of the Death Penalty, Ernest van den Haag.
16. Capital Punishment, Hugo Adam Bedau.
VIII. IMMIGRATION. 17. The Distribution of Membership, Michael Walzer.
18. Migration and Morality: A Liberal Egalitarian Perspective, Joseph H. Carens.
IX. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. 19. Two Concepts of Affirmative Action, Steven M. Cahn.
20 The Message of Affirmative Action, Thomas E. Hill, Jr.
21. Reverse Discrimination, Sidney Hook.
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Back Cover |
Anthologies in applied ethics have devoted substantial attention to practical issues of personal morality, such as abortion, euthanasia, and famine relief. Much less attention has been given to examining ethical problems of public policy, such as school vouchers, gun control, immigration, drug legalization, and same-sex marriage. And much of the important work that has been done on these topics is for the most part uncollected and relatively inaccessible. This anthology breaks new ground in bringing together challenging essays which deal with these and other moral issues inherent in the policies of government. The focus of this new anthology is on a wide range of topics, all of which raise compelling ethical problems, and all of which are hotly contested in contemporary public discourse. The selected readings are current, many written by leading philosophers, and the authors provide helpful introductions to each of the readings. |
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Author |
Steven M. Cahn is professor of philosophy at the City University of New York's Graduate School and is the author of more than 20 volumes in philosophy. Tziporah Kasachkoff is professor of philosophy at the City University of New York's Borough of Manhattan Community College and the Graduate School. She is the editor of the American Philosophical Association Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy and is the author of numerous articles. |
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