Development of Morality

The book presents a novel approach to ethics. It draws on the work of F. H. Bradley and his principal commentator, Richard Wollheim, and is underpinned by naturalistic metaphysical and psychoanalytic perspectives. It proposes an analysis of objectively true moral statements. The first part of the book demarcates the perspective offered from contemporary analytic ethics, and gives an account of the philosophical foundations of the subsequent analysis. The second part discusses the growth of the moral sense in the individual, and identifies three vertices in the moral life: first, the Station of Narcissus, concerning the self-fulfilment of the individual; second, My Station and its Duties, concerning the place of the individual in society; and third, Universal Moral Vision, concerning global moral consciousness. This second part concludes with an analysis of the Good as a supervenient phenomenon. The third part describes various contexts of moral decision-making that arise in life, and discusses a variety of examples of moral dilemmas, including ones drawn from literature and modern controversies. It will be of value to all students and faculty members in philosophy departments, as well as lay readers, with an interest in moral philosophy.