Kant and Applied Ethics (eBook)

Matthew C. Altman is an associate professor of philosophy and chair of the Philosophy & Religious Studies Department at Central Washington University. In addition to articles in ethics, applied ethics, and the history of philosophy, he is the author of A Companion to Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" (2008), co-author of The Fractured Self in Freud and German Philosophy (2013), and editor of The Palgrave Handbook of German Idealism (2014).

Preface vi

Note on Sources and Key to Abbreviations viii

Introduction: Why Kant Now 1

Part I. Applying Kant's Ethics 11

1. Animal Suffering and Moral Character 13

2. Kant's Strategic Importance for Environmental Ethics 45

3. Moral and Legal Arguments for Universal Health Care 71

4. The Scope of Patient Autonomy 90

Part II. Kantian Arguments against Kant's Conclusions 115

5. Subjecting Ourselves to Capital Punishment 117

6. Same-Sex Marriage as a Means to Mutual Respect 139

Part III. Limitations of Kant's Theory 165

7. Consent, Mail-Order Brides, and the Marriage Contract 167

8. Individual Maxims and Social Justice 194

9. The Decomposition of the Corporate Body 217

10. Becoming a Person 241

Conclusion: Emerging from Kant's Long Shadow 283

Bibliography 289

Index 311

"This is a competent, clear, and evenhanded assessment of
the relevance of Kant's thought for current moral
debates. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level
undergraduates through researchers/faculty."
(Choice, 1 October 2012)

"Kant and Applied Ethics is a stimulating attempt to
assess the relevance of Kantian theory for contemporary moral
problems. Kantian moral philosophers will find much to disagree
with, but there is no doubt that the book raises important puzzles
for Kantian moral theory. Those unpersuaded by Kantian theory may
find ammunition to use against Kantianism. Those who wish to defend
Kant's theory may find a helpful formulation of some serious
challenges to Kant's moral philosophy." (Notre Dame
Philosophical Reviews, 30 June 2012)



"Kant, in Altman's artful hands, holds the key to
solve some of the most intricate issues in applied ethics. Exegesis
and philosophical imagination successfully combine in this
appealing book."

--Pablo Muchnik, Emerson College

"In Kant and Applied Ethics, Matthew Altman draws on a
wide knowledge of Kant's writings, including lesser-known
texts, to bring Kantian insights to bear on a large range of
different ethical problems from treatment of animals and respect
for the environment to suicide and punishment and abortion. It will
definitely be a valuable teaching tool. And it proves something
that should be more widely recognized, namely, that applied ethics
is just ethics, and applied philosophy is just
philosophy."

--Jeffrey Reiman, American University

"Kant and Applied Ethics is a stimulating attempt to
assess the relevance of Kantian theory for contemporary moral
problems. Kantian moral philosophers will find much to disagree
with, but there is no doubt that the book raises important puzzles
for Kantian moral theory. Those unpersuaded by Kantian theory may
find ammunition to use against Kantianism. Those who wish to defend
Kant's theory may find a helpful formulation of some serious
challenges to Kant's moral philosophy."

--Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"Altman is a reliable and sympathetic guide to Kantian
positions on the most common issues in applied ethics, as well as
an incisive critic who is candid about the limits of Kantian
ethics."

--Aaron Bunch, Washington State University