Equality and Tradition: Questions of Value in Moral and Political Theory

This collection of essays by noted philosopher Samuel Scheffler combines discussion of abstract questions in moral and political theory with attention to the normative dimension of current social and political controversies. In addition to chapters on more abstract issues such as the nature of human valuing, the role of partiality in ethics, and the significance of the distinction between doing and allowing, the volume also includes essays on immigration, terrorism, toleration, political equality, and the normative significance of tradition.Uniting the essays is a shared preoccupation with questions about human value and values. The volume opens with an essay that considers the general question of what it is to value something - as opposed, say, to wanting it, wanting to want it, or thinking that it is valuable. Other essays explore particular values, such as equality, whose meaning and content are contested. Still others consider the tensions that arise, both within and among individuals, in consequence of the diversity of human values. One of the overarching aims of the book is to illuminate the different ways in which liberal political theory attempts to resolve conflicts of both of these kinds.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Part I: Individuals 1. Valuing 2. Morality and Reasonable Partiality 3. Doing and Allowing Part II: Institutions 4. The Division of Moral Labour: Egalitarian Liberalism as Moral Pluralism 5. Is the Basic Structure Basic? 6. Cosmopolitanism, Justice, and Institutions Part III: Society 7. What is Egalitarianism? 8. Choice, Circumstance, and the Value of Equality 9. Is Terrorism Morally Distinctive? 10. Immigration and the Significance of Culture 11. The Normativity of Tradition 12. The Good of Toleration

About the Author :
Samuel Scheffler is University Professor; Professor of Philosophy, Law, New York University. He is the author of The Rejection of Consequentialism, Human Morality, and Boundaries and Allegiances.

Review :
"Two principal virtues of written philosophy are clarity of presentation and depth of engagement with the subject matter, and few philosophers equal Samuel Scheffler's ability to realize these virtues simultaneously. Equality and Tradition is a collection of Scheffler's recent essays in moral and political philosophy. The book is both a worthy successor to his previous books and collections and an excellent entry point into the most recent literature in these fields." --Jon Garthoff, Notre Dame Philosophical Review "Samuel Scheffler's Equality and Tradition is a collection of first-rate essays in moral and political philosophy...One of the most impressive features of Scheffler's work is his ability to do justice to opposing philosophical visions...Scheffler's remarkable capacity to take up a broad perspective while remaining deeply attentive to the nuances of our evaluative practices is on display throughout this collection. Engagement with these essays is well worth the time and effort of anyone interested in questions of moral and political value." -- Mind