Morality, Normativity, and Society [Paperback]

Moral claims not only assume to be true, but they also guide our choices. This fascinating book presents a new theory of normative judgment, the standard-based theory, which offers a schematic account of the truth conditions of normative propositions of all kinds, including moral propositions and propositions about reasons. Here, David Copp argues that because any society needs a social moral code in order to enable its members to live together successfully, and because it would be rational for a society to choose such a system, certain moral codes--and the standards they include--are justified. In this work, Copp raises a number of important issues in moral theory, as well as in metaphysics and the philosophy of language.

Profound and persuasive...I recommend this book highly. --Philosophical Review

Clear, ambitious, fair-minded,...All of it deserves careful study. --Ethics