Partial Values: A Comparative Study in the Limits of Objectivity

The book explores the categories of impartiality and objectivity, arguing that traditional conceptions fail to capture what is important to our identities as knowers, social beings, and moral agents. It offers a new thesis of perspectival realism as a critique of strong objectivity, drawing heavily on resources from classical Chinese philosophy. Arguments are applied to concrete issues in applied ethics, cross-cultural anthropology, and political science.

Format: Hardback
Length: 186 pages
Publication date: 12 March 2018
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

When, if ever, is it permissible to afford special consideration to friends and family? How can we strive to be objective in our thinking, and is this always a feasible or appropriate aim?

This book examines the categories of impartiality and objectivity by showing how they frame certain debates in epistemology, moral psychology, and metaethics. It argues that many traditional conceptions of objectivity fail to capture what is important to our identities as knowers, social beings, and moral agents. A new thesis of perspectival realism is offered as a critique of strong objectivity, but in a way that avoids radical subjectivism or relativism.

Locally-situated identities can provide their own criteria of epistemic and moral justification, and we may aspire to be impartial in a way that need not sacrifice particular perspectives and relationships. Arguments throughout the book draw heavily on resources from classical Chinese philosophy, and significant attention is given to applications of arguments to concrete issues in applied ethics, cross-cultural anthropology, and political science.

In conclusion, this book offers a novel and compelling account of the nature of impartiality and objectivity, and its implications for our understanding of knowledge, morality, and social life. It provides a valuable resource for scholars and practitioners in a wide range of fields, and its insights into the relationship between identity, perspective, and justification are sure to be of interest to anyone who seeks to understand the complexities of human judgment and behavior.

Weight: 440g
Dimension: 161 x 236 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781786602121