| Self-Interest: An Anthology of Philosophical Perspectives from Antiquity to the Present Contributor(s): Rogers, Kelly (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0415912512 ISBN-13: 9780415912518 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $152.00 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: July 1997 Annotation: Human beings naturally care a great deal for themselves--and couldn't survive otherwise. As Aquinas observed, the drive for self-preservation is the first law of nature. Yet in the imperative of self-love, philosophers have also perceived a tacit threat. Plato reminds us that 'the excessive love of self is in reality the source to each man of all offences.' And so the inevitability of self- concern must be balanced with its manifest potential for harm. But how is such a reconciliation possible? This collection brings tohether the efforts of twenty- three great thinkers addressing such themes as the nature of self-interest, its connection to benevolence and morality, and its implications for political theory. The philosophical results are rich and varied. "Self-Interest" is intended for philosophers, students, and anyone inclined to reflect upon a subject of such enduring importance and perplexity as the love of self. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Philosophy | Ethics & Moral Philosophy |
| Dewey: 171.9 |
| LCCN: 96048798 |
| Physical Information: 0.87" H x 6.38" W x 9.26" (1.25 lbs) 302 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Self-Interest discusses the reconciliation of inevitable self-concern with its manifest potential for harm. This anthology brings together the efforts of twenty three renown philosophers to address the matter of how to bring about such a reconciliation. The drive for self-preservation, as observed by Aquinas, is the first law of nature. With this self-love, however, comes the threat of "the excessive love of self". Self-Interest brings into discussion the reconciliation of necessary self-concern with its manifest potential for harm. This anthology brings together the work of twenty-three important philosophers to address the question of how to bring about such a reconciliation. Contributors include: Democritus, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine of Hippo, Aquinas, Hobbes, Nicole, Mandeville, Butler, Hutchenson, Hume, Smith, Kant, Bentham, Mill, James, Nietzsche, Dewey, Rand, and Gauthier. |