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In this book, David Shoemaker investigates the complicated nature of blame and praise--teasing out their many varieties while defending a general symmetry between them. The book provides a thoroughgoing normative grounding for all types of blame and praise, one that does not appeal in any fashion to desert or the metaphysics of free will.
List of contents
- Preface
- Introduction: Materials
- PART ONE: SYMMETRY
- 1: Asymmetries
- 2: Functions
- 3: Hazards
- 4: Forms
- 5: Emotions
- PART TWO: NORMATIVITY
- 6: Grounds
- 7: Fitmakers
- 8: Directions
- 9: Sanctions
- Conclusion: The Architecture of Blame and Praise
About the author
David Shoemaker is a Professor in the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University. He is the author or co-author of over sixty academic papers, four monographs, and an introductory philosophy textbook. He is also the ongoing series editor of Oxford Studies in Agency and Responsibility. His publications have been about numerous topics in agency and responsibility, moral philosophy, moral psychology, the philosophy of humor, political philosophy, and personal identity. He has taught at several universities over the course of his career, including California State Northridge, Bowling Green State University, the University of Memphis, and Tulane University.
Summary
In this book, David Shoemaker investigates the complicated nature of blame and praise--teasing out their many varieties while defending a general symmetry between them. The book provides a thoroughgoing normative grounding for all types of blame and praise, one that does not appeal in any fashion to desert or the metaphysics of free will.
