From principles to practice : normativity and judgement in ethics and politics

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Why practical principles matter -- Modern moral philosophy and the problem of relevant descriptions -- Two cultures fifty years on -- Scientific inquiry and normative reasoning -- Abstract principles and practical judgement -- Abstraction, idealisation and ideology -- Normativity and practical judgement -- Instituting principles: between duty and action -- Experts, practitioners, and practical judgement -- Kant on indeterminacy, judgement, and interpretation -- Means, ends, and demands -- Reason and the resolution of disputes -- Consequences for non-consequentialists -- Demandingness and rules -- Applied ethics and practical judgement -- Applied ethics: naturalism, normativity, and public policy -- Practical principles and practical judgement in bioethics -- Enactable and enforceable: Kant's criteria for right and virtue. Part I - Practical principles and relevant descriptions Part II - Abstract principles and practical judgment Part III - Means, ends and demands Part IV - ‘Applied’ ethics and practical judgment Index