Common Minds: Themes from the Philosophy of Philip PettitGeoffrey Brennan, Robert Goodin, Frank Jackson, Michael Smith Clarendon Press, 2007 M05 24 - 368 pages During a career spanning over thirty years Philip Pettit has made seminal contributions in moral philosophy, political philosophy, philosophy of the social sciences, philosophy of mind and action, and metaphysics. His many contributions would be remarkable enough in themselves, but they are made all the more remarkable by the ways in which Pettit connects them with each other. Pettit holds that the lessons learned when thinking about problems in one area of philosophy often constitute ready-made solutions to problems we faced in completely different areas. His body of work taken as a whole provides a vivid example of what philosophy looks like when done with that conviction. Common Minds presents specially written papers by some of the most eminent philosophers alive today, grappling with some of the themes derived from the larger programme that Pettit has inspired. How are we to do the best we can, whether in the domain of morality or politics, given that we are non-ideal agents acting in non-ideal circumstances? What is the normative significance of the capacity we have to engage in rational deliberation, both individually and collectively, about what to do? How are we to square our conception of ourselves as rational deliberators with the more mechanistic conception of ourselves and the world we inhabit that we get from the natural sciences? The volume concludes with a substantial piece by Pettit in which he gives an overview of his work, draws out the connections between its key themes, and provides a rich commentary on the preceding essays. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 85
Page 2
... question that immediately arises is: does the 'mentality' of the mental events contribute to the production of effects thus caused? Prima facie it would appear not; the 'physicality' of those physical causes does all the work. This ...
... question that immediately arises is: does the 'mentality' of the mental events contribute to the production of effects thus caused? Prima facie it would appear not; the 'physicality' of those physical causes does all the work. This ...
Page 3
... question, 'What is the relation between a higher-order [believing that p] and lower-order cause in virtue of which the higher-order counts as causally relevant?' (Pettit 1993: 33), is divided into two parts. First, there is 'the state ...
... question, 'What is the relation between a higher-order [believing that p] and lower-order cause in virtue of which the higher-order counts as causally relevant?' (Pettit 1993: 33), is divided into two parts. First, there is 'the state ...
Page 7
... question. Consider the first. The problem is that, on a plausible reading of Pettit's account, the higher-order and lower-order properties are instantiated separately, and the most natural way to interpret the ensuring relation between ...
... question. Consider the first. The problem is that, on a plausible reading of Pettit's account, the higher-order and lower-order properties are instantiated separately, and the most natural way to interpret the ensuring relation between ...
Page 8
... question (in the Ramsey/Lewis style). Now, there is no difficulty understanding the claim that the role properties non-causally ensure the existence of realizing properties, but the most natural way of making metaphysical sense of this ...
... question (in the Ramsey/Lewis style). Now, there is no difficulty understanding the claim that the role properties non-causally ensure the existence of realizing properties, but the most natural way of making metaphysical sense of this ...
Page 20
... question of why the supervening property, say pain, is not 'equally heterogeneous and nonnomic as a kind' (Kim 1993: 323). Failing one, we must take seriously the thought that the variably realized supervening properties cannot figure ...
... question of why the supervening property, say pain, is not 'equally heterogeneous and nonnomic as a kind' (Kim 1993: 323). Failing one, we must take seriously the thought that the variably realized supervening properties cannot figure ...
Contents
1 | |
28 | |
3 Can HunterGatherers Hear Color? | 55 |
4 Structural Irrationality | 84 |
5 Freedom Coercion and Discursive Control | 104 |
6 Conversability and Deliberation | 121 |
7 Pettits Molecule | 143 |
8 Contestatory Citizenship Deliberative Denizenship | 161 |
9 Crime Responsibility and Institutional Design | 182 |
10 Disenfranchised Silence | 199 |
Joining the Dots | 215 |
Index | 345 |
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Common terms and phrases
able action active agent argue argument associated assume assumption attitudes behaviour belief capacity causal causal relevance cause certain claim color common conception conclusion context criminal decide decision deliberative depends desire discussion distinct effect event example expectancies experience explain fact freedom functional give given hold idea important individual instance intentional interest interference involve issue judges judgments justice kind less liberty look matter means mental moral natural neural normative object Oxford particular pattern perceptual person Pettit physical political position possible practical present Press problem produce properties question rational realized reason reference relation relevant represented republican respect responsibility result role rule seems sense silence social sort speech structural suggests Suppose synaesthetic theory things true understanding University vote