Right Actions and Good Persons: Controversies Between Eudaimonistic and Deontic Moral Theories (Avebury Series in Philosophy)

Deals with the contemporary ethical controversy between the "agent-centred" and "act-centred" approaches to moral theory. It discusses whether moral theory should focus on the good life of the agent or whether it should provide the criterion for right actions. The aim of the book is to examine whether an agent-centred approach of some kind can provide an acceptable alternative to the act-centred ones that have long dominated the discussion. To do this, it analyzes the argumentation of influential advocates of this view such as Martha Nussbaum and Charles Taylor. On the basis of this analysis, it is concluded that the promoters of the agent-centred view fail to provide such an alternative. the book also defends the act-centred approach by showing that when properly understood and clearly defined, it can still offer a justifiable account of morality.