Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-196) and index.
CONTENTS NOTE
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The complexity of moral psychology -- On acting rationally against one's best judgment -- Moral worth -- Varieties of autonomy -- Blame, autonomy, and problem cases.
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SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
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"Sometimes a person does the right thing, and we are not impressed (perhaps she is doing it only for the tax deduction). At other times, a person does the wrong thing, and we are not particularly outraged (perhaps he has had a really hard day). And at other times, we are just not sure. What is it that makes a person praiseworthy or blameworthy for a particular action? This question, which Nomy Arpaly describes as the question of the moral worth of actions, is relevant to any account of moral responsibility and agency." "Unprincipled Virtue attempts to answer this question, introducing a new theory of moral worth based on the quality of will an action expresses and offering a fresh perspective on moral responsibility, autonomy, rationality, and the self. She proposes that we give actions deriving from unconscious (and often misunderstood) motivations the same kind of moral weight that we attach to other acts. Supported by a wide range of literary examples, her thesis also contains many subtle and detailed treatments of actual case studies involving real-life situations."--Jacket.