Value, Respect, and Attachment [Paperback]

A concise, pithy and attractively humane account of some fundamental questions of social existence.Joseph Raz is one of the world's leading philosophers of law, and in his Seeley Lectures he reflects critically on one of the central tenets of ethical thought, the view that values are universal. He concludes that we should try to understand what is and what is not entailed by the universality of values, with such a proper understanding central to the future hopes of mankind, rather than abandoning the belief altogether. This is a concise, pithy and attractively humane account of some fundamental questions of social existence.Joseph Raz is one of the world's leading philosophers of law, and in his Seeley Lectures he reflects critically on one of the central tenets of ethical thought, the view that values are universal. He concludes that we should try to understand what is and what is not entailed by the universality of values, with such a proper understanding central to the future hopes of mankind, rather than abandoning the belief altogether. This is a concise, pithy and attractively humane account of some fundamental questions of social existence.Joseph Raz is one of the world's leading philosophers of law, and in his Seeley Lectures he reflects critically on one of the central tenets of ethical thought, the view that values are universal. He concludes that we should try to understand what is and what is not entailed by the universality of values, with such an understanding central to the future hopes of mankind, rather than abandoning the belief altogether. This is a concise humane account of some fundamental questions of social existence.1. Introduction; 2. Value and uniqueness; 3. Universality and difference; 4. The value of staying alive; 5. Respecting people; Index.'This engaging book explores the central issues surrounding value in an interesting and thought-provoking manner and is well worth reading.' Philosophical Writings