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Is there any moral obligation to improve oneself, to foster and develop various capacities in oneself? From a broadly Kantian point of view, Self-Improvement defends the view that there is such an obligation and that it is an obligation that each person owes to him or herself. The defence addresses a range of arguments philosophers have mobilized against this idea, including the argument that it is impossible to owe anything to yourself, and the view that an obligation to improve onself is overly 'moralistic'. Robert N. Johnson argues against Kantian universalization arguments for the duty of self-improvement, as well as arguments that bottom out in a supposed value humanity has. At the same time, he defends a position based on the notion that self- and other-respecting agents would, under the right circumstances, accept the principle of self-improvement and would leave it up to each to be the person to whom this duty is owed.
Does a moral obligation exist for individuals to actively foster and develop their own capacities? Robert N. Johnson investigates this question through a Kantian framework, challenging the notion that self-improvement is merely a personal preference or an overly moralistic pursuit. By examining the logical structure of duties owed to oneself, the author constructs a defense of self-improvement that avoids traditional universalization arguments while grounding the duty in the requirements of self-respecting agency.
What You Will Find
Scholars in the field of Kantian ethics recognize this work as a significant contribution to the debate surrounding duties to oneself. Readers frequently note the rigorous analytical density of the prose, which is intended for those already familiar with the complexities of Kantian moral philosophy.
Page Count:
192
Publication Date:
2011-11-15
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0199599343
ISBN-13:
9780199599349
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