Respect, Pluralism, and Justice: Kantian Perspectives

by Thomas E. Hill Jr.

A series of essays which sketch a broadly Kantian framework for moral deliberation, and then use it to address important social and political issues. What does it mean to respect humanity in a diverse world? Must respect be earned, and can it be forfeited? How, and why, should the state punish law-breakers? When, if ever, is political violence justified? How far are we responsible for the consequences of our misdeeds? How can liberals justify coercive state power in a world of diverse moral and religious beliefs? How far can we rely on conscience when it conflicts with authority?

296 pages, Hardcover

First published June 29, 2000

About the author

Thomas E. Hill, Jr., received an AB from Harvard College, a BPhil as a Rhodes Scholar from the University of Oxford, and a PhD from Harvard University. He is author of Autonomy and Self-Respect (CUP), Dignity and Practical Reason in Kant's Moral Theory (Cornell University Press), Respect, Pluralism, and Justice (OUP), and Human Welfare and Moral Worth (OUP). He edited the Blackwell Guide to Kant's Ethics (Wiley-Blackwell) and, with Arnulf Zweig, co-edited Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (OUPs). He taught briefly at the Johns Hopkins University and Pomona College, at UCLA for sixteen years, as a visitor at Stanford University and the University of Minnesota, and is currently Kenan Professor in philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His essays explore a wide range of topics in moral and political philosophy, with special interest in Kant and broadly Kantian perspectives on practical issues.