Perfectionism is one of the great moralities of the Western tradition. It holds that certain states of humans, such as knowledge, achievement, and friendship, are good apart from any pleasure they may bring, and that the morally right act is always the one that most promotes these states. Defined more narrowly, perfectionism identifies the human good by reference to human nature: if knowledge and achievement are good, it is because they realize aspects of human nature. This book gives an account of perfectionism, first in the narrower sense, analyzing its central concepts and defending a theory of human nature in which rationality plays a central role. It then uses this theory to construct an elaborate account of the intrinsic value of beliefs and actions that embody rationality, and applies this account to political questions about liberty and equality. The book attempts to formulate the most defensible version of perfectionism, using contemporary analytic techniques. It aims both to regain for perfectionism a central place in contemporary moral debate and to shed light on the writings of classical perfectionists such as Aristotle, Aquinas, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and T.H. Green.
Author(s): Thomas Hurka
Year: 1993
Language: English
Pages: 235
Contents......Page 10
1. Introduction......Page 16
I. The Perfectionist Idea......Page 20
2. The Concept of Human Nature......Page 22
2.1 Distinctiveness and Essence......Page 23
2.2 Essence and Life......Page 27
2.3 Nature: Objections......Page 31
3.1 Accretions......Page 36
3.2 Perfectionist Naturalism......Page 41
3.3 Defending Perfectionism......Page 44
3.4 How Are Essences Known?......Page 46
4.1 The Aristotelian Theory: Physical Essence......Page 50
4.2 The Aristotelian Theory: Rationality......Page 52
4.3 The Aristotelian Theory: Objections......Page 57
4.4 The Wrong Explanations?......Page 61
II. Aristotelian Perfectionism......Page 66
5.1 Maximizing Consequentialism......Page 68
5.2 Time- and Agent-Neutrality......Page 73
5.3 The Asymmetry......Page 77
5.4 Competition and Co-operation......Page 79
6. Aggregation......Page 82
6.1 Summing and Averaging......Page 83
6.2 Maximax......Page 88
6.3 Single-Peak Perfection......Page 92
6.4 Conclusion......Page 95
7. The Well-Rounded Life......Page 97
7.1 Lexical and Constant Comparisons......Page 98
7.2 Balancing......Page 101
7.3 Dilettantism and Concentration......Page 104
7.4 Many-Person Balancing?......Page 110
8.1 Number and Quality......Page 112
8.2 Attempt......Page 116
8.3 Deserving Attempt......Page 118
8.4 Success and Deserved Success......Page 121
8.5 The Best Units?......Page 125
9.1 Generality: Extent and Dominance......Page 127
9.2 Generality: Elaborations......Page 129
9.3 Top-to-Bottom Knowledge......Page 132
9.4 The Unified Life......Page 134
9.5 Complex, Difficult Activities......Page 136
10.1 Political Action......Page 142
10.2 Co-operation......Page 145
10.3 Love and Friendship......Page 147
10.4 Generality: Objections......Page 150
10.5 Generality: The Tradition......Page 154
III. Perfectionism and Politics......Page 158
11. Liberty......Page 160
11.1 Autonomy as a Perfection......Page 161
11.2 The Asymmetry Argument......Page 165
11.3 Sexual Enforcement and Paternalism......Page 169
11.4 Liberty versus Neutrality......Page 171
12.1 Deep Equality......Page 174
12.2 Desert and Aggregation......Page 176
12.3 Natural Abilities......Page 178
12.4 Diminishing Marginal Utility......Page 182
13.1 Arguments from Co-operation......Page 189
13.2 Illustrations and Limitations......Page 193
13.3 Property and Property-Freedom......Page 196
13.4 Self-Reliance versus Dependence......Page 198
14. Conclusion......Page 203
Notes......Page 206
Bibliography......Page 222
A......Page 228
C......Page 229
E......Page 230
H......Page 231
N......Page 232
P......Page 233
T......Page 234
W......Page 235
