Respect for Persons A Philosophical Analysis of the Moral, Political and Religious Idea of the Supreme Worth of the Individual Person

Originally published in 1969, this book provides a sustained examination of the idea of the individual person as of supreme worth in the language of analytical philosophy. An important contribution to debates in moral philosophy, it will be of use to students in the philosophy of religion and education and to those who are interested in the contribution which philosophical analysis can make to the understanding of traditional moral and political ideas.

Part 1: Respect for Persons as Ends 1. Ends 2. Rules, Principles and Attitudes 3. Attitudes 4. Persons 5. Respecting Persons 6. Objections 7. Conclusion Part 2: Respect for Persons and Public Morality 1. Public Morality 2. Utilitarianism 3. Moral Rules 4.Equality 5. Liberty 6. Fraternity 7. Conclusion Part 3: Respect for Persons and Private Morality 1. The Problem 2. The Senses of ‘Private’ 3. Current Views 4. Private Morality and the Virtues 5. Private Morality and Self-Realization 6. Private Morality as Obligatory 7. Private Morality and Duties to Self 8. Private Morality and Egoism 9. Self-Respect and Respect for Human Nature 10. Conclusion Part 4: Respect for Persons and Moral Responsibility 1. Respect, Responsibility and Purpose 2. Determinism 3. The Reducibility Thesis 4. The Compatibility Thesis 5. Purposive Explanation 6. Conclusion Part 5: Respect for Persons and Meta-Ethics 1. The Logical Status of ‘Respect for Persons’ 3. Naturalism 4. Non-Naturalism 5. Conclusion

R. S. Downie