“A serious and engaging cultural history painted on an admirably large canvas.”—Laura Kipnis, New York Times Book Review What do John Calvin, Sarah Palin, Jean-Jacques Rosseau, and Bon Iver have in common? A preoccupation with sincerity. With deep historical perspective and a brilliant contemporary spin, R. Jay Magill Jr. tells the beguiling tale of sincerity’s theological past, its current emotional resonance, and the deep impact it has had on the Western soul. At a time when politicians are scrutinized less for the truth of what they say than for how much they really mean it, Sincerity provides a wide-ranging examination of a moral ideal that remains a strange magnetic north in our secular moral compass.

First published fifteen years ago, Ethica Thomistica is widely recognized as one of the finest introductions to St. Thomas's moral philosophy. Though the book has been out of print for several years, scholars and students still refer to it as the standard resource on Thomistic ethics. In this much-anticipated, revised edition, Ralph McInerny revisits the basics of Thomas's teachings and offers a brief, intelligible, and persuasive summary. Chapters: Morality and Human Life; The Good for Man; Ultimate End and Moral Principles; The Structure of the Human Act; Good and Evil Action; Character and Decision; Prudence and Conscience; Religion and Morality ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ralph McInerny is Michael P. Grace Professor of Medieval Studies and director of the Jacques Maritain Center at the University of Notre Dame, where he has taught since 1955. He is founder and publisher of Catholic Dossier magazine; cofounder of Crisis magazine; and author of several books published by CUA Press, including Aquinas on Human Action (1992), The Question of Christian Ethics (1993), and Aquinas and Analogy (1996). PRAISE FOR THE BOOK: "Remarkable for its moderation and common sense. . . . McInerny] rapidly sketches selected themes from Thomistic moral thinking: what distinguishes the moral activities of man, what is distinctive of moral goodness (in Aristotle and in Aquinas), an analysis of practical reason in relation to natural law, the bases for judging good and evil moral actions, the roles of intellect and will in voluntary activity, the work of virtues as components of moral character, the functions of prudence and conscience, and finally the relation of ethics to religious belief. . . . For the person who desires a quick and understandable introduction to this subject, this little book can be recommended as readable and reliable."--Vernon J. Bourke, Speculum "An important contribution both to moral philosophy and to its teaching. . . . McInerny] has put us all in his debt by writing it."--Alasdair MacIntyre, Teaching Philosophy "A clear, thorough and readable introduction to the thought of one of the intellectual giants of the Catholic moral tradition."--National Catholic Register

“My Philosophy” is a 1949 work by Benedetto Croce containing many of his essays on philosophy together with various writings on the subjects of morality ad politics. Contents include: “Discourses on Philosophy”, “Philosophy of Politics”, “Problems of Ethics and Aesthetics”, “Philosophy of History”, and “Various Thoughts”. Benedetto Croce (1866–1952) was an Italian historian, philosopher, and politician. A prolific writer, he who wrote on many different subjects including history, philosophy, aesthetics, and historiography. This vintage book is highly recommended for those with an interest in philosophy and is not to be missed by fans and collectors of Croce's seminal work. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with an introduction to Croce's philosophy by Raffaello Piccoli.

Originally published in 1985, these essays relate philosophical questions about the meaning and justification of toleration to debates about such issues as religious freedom, racial discrimination, pornography and censorship. Many take their point of departure from classic works, especially J S Mill’s On Liberty and many consider recent developments in moral and political philosophy.

Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics is an annual forum for new work in normative ethical theory. Leading philosophers present original contributions to our understanding of a wide range of moral issues and positions, from analysis of competing approaches to normative ethics (including moral realism, constructivism, and expressivism) to questions of how we should act and live well. OSNE is an essential resource for scholars and students working in moral philosophy.

Liberalism without Perfection offers an introduction to the debate between liberal perfectionism and political liberalism. This book is a new account and defence of Rawlsian political liberalism, one of the most discussed, but widely misunderstood and criticized theories in contemporary political theory.

Michael Moehler develops a novel multilevel social contract theory. In contrast to existing theories in the liberal tradition, it does not merely assume a restricted form of reasonable moral pluralism, but is tailored to the conditions of deeply morally pluralistic societies which may be populated by liberal moral agents, nonliberal moral agents, and, according to the traditional understanding of morality, nonmoral agents alike. Moehler draws on the history of the social contract tradition, especially the work of Hobbes, Hume, Kant, Rawls, and Gauthier, as well as on the work of some of the critics of this tradition, such as Sen and Gaus. Moehler's two-level contractarian theory holds that morality in its best contractarian version for the conditions of deeply morally pluralistic societies entails Humean, Hobbesian, and Kantian moral features. The theory defines the minimal behavioral restrictions that are necessary to ensure, compared to violent conflict resolution, mutually beneficial peaceful long-term cooperation in deeply morally pluralistic societies. The theory minimizes the problem of compliance in morally diverse societies by maximally respecting the interests of all members of society. Despite its ideal nature, the theory is, in principle, applicable to the real world and, for the conditions described, most promising for securing mutually beneficial peaceful long-term cooperation in a world in which a fully just society, due to moral diversity, is unattainable. If Rawls' intention was to carry the traditional social contract argument to a higher level of abstraction, then the two-level contractarian theory brings it back down to earth.