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WRONGNESS, WELFARISM AND EVOLUTION: CRISP ON REASONS AND THE GOOD
Author(s) -
Fletcher Guy
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
ratio
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1467-9329
pISSN - 0034-0006
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9329.2007.00369.x
Subject(s) - welfarism , citation , reading (process) , library science , computer science , information retrieval , world wide web , sociology , philosophy , law , political science , linguistics , welfare
In Reasons and the Good (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2006), Roger Crisp presents answers to some of the oldest questions in moral philosophy. The book is sparklingly clear and contains abundant insights and interesting arguments. One strength is that it does not require substantial acquaintance with the literature in order to follow and benefit from the discussion, although those versed in the current debates will doubtless get more out of the book. The breadth of the book is also impressive. It tackles a dizzying array of topics, any one of which could have warranted a book. But therein lies the rub. The book discusses so many topics that it does not always feel like a coherent whole. It also covers so much in such a comparatively small space that the reader cannot help wondering whether important complications have been omitted or objections left unconsidered. Given the large range of topics that Crisp covers and arguments he deploys, I will not attempt to summarise the book. Instead, I will consider objections to what I consider to be the main tenets of Crisp’s theory.