Suchergebnisse

Rosenbaum reviews The Atheist: Madalyn Murray O'Hair by Bryan F. Le Beau.

Francis J. Beckwith's (2001) critique of Paul D. Simmons's (2000) analysis of US abortion policy & of Justice Blackman's opinion in the US Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade (1973) is challenged. An overview of the social & cultural context surrounding the contemporary abortion debate is presented, emphasizing the rise in the practice of abandoning infants in US society. Beckwith's contention that involving metaphysics into discussions of abortion is unavoidable is questioned & contrasted to Simmons's & Blackman's respective positions that metaphysics has no place in democratic policy making. Several problems with Beckwith's argument for using the viability standard to determining when a fetus become a human being are then identified, eg, the use of metaphysical perspectives to interpret constitutional documents, especially in pluralistic societies. In addition, Beckwith's claim that Simmons's "no-subject perspective" necessarily makes him a metaphysical materialist is strongly repudiated. Ultimately, Beckwith is delineated as a philosophical fundamentalist & is urged to consider the works of American pragmatists William James & John Dewey. J. W. Parker

Rosenbaum reviews 'The Rise of the Imperial Self: America's Culture Wars in Augustinian Perspective' by Ronald W. Dworkin.

Pragmatism -- From moral theory to the reflective life -- The reflective life -- Ideals -- Deliberation -- Education -- Ecumenism