Naslov
Matthew C. Altman: Kant and Applied Ethics : The Uses and Limits of Kant's Practical Philosophy

Autori
Eterović, Igor

Izvornik
Synthesis philosophica (0352-7875) 27 (2012), 2; 383-385

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, prikaz, stručni

Ključne riječi
Immanuel Kant; bioethics; practical philosophy

Sažetak
The book Kant and Applied Ethics: The Uses and Limits of Kant's Practical Philosophy of Matthew C. Altman is a true refreshment in the world of Kantian scholarship. It is a deep exegetical achievement in reading of Kant's thought and its actualisation for modern (bio)ethical problems at the same time. As it is noted in the title, the author tries to present and explain the modalities of connection between Kant and applied ethics. Part I is titled "Applying Kant's Ethics" and it contains 4 chapters. While the first two chapters deal with possibility of Kantian foundation of our ethical standpoints toward nonrational animal and environment, the rest of the book is concentrated on the behaving toward other people. In third chapter author argues that there is a moral duty to assist others in their health care, but also that government is legally bound to provide health care. In fourth chapter author analyzes which is the scope of patient's freedom by demonstrating the arguments connected with three major contemporary bioethical issues: physician-assisted suicide, refusing of life-saving medical treatment and organ donation. In the second part, titled "Kantian Arguments against Kant's Conclusions", the author points out two topics in which Kantian arguments could be used against his own conclusions: capital punishment and same sex marriage. The final and the largest part of the book is titled "Limitations of Kant's Theory" and it includes four chapters which brings serious complaints to Kant's theory, especially with relation to its applicability on contemporary bioethical issues: mail-order brides and the nature of marriage ; social justice and individual maxims ; problem of colective responsibility and business ethics ; becoming a person and the considerability of a being as a moral agent. The author was completely successful in his main goals, which are the investigation and presentation of strengths and weaknesses of Kant's ethics, but also the demonstration of the value of Kant's approach for the contemporary applied ethics and/or bioethics. The book is "kantianly" precise and rigorous in arguments, but "bioethicaly" fresh and actual in presented problems.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filozofija

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