Publisher Description

Most people think that the difficulty of balancing career and personal/family relationships is the fault of present-day society or is due to their own inadequacies. But in this major new book, eminent moral philosopher Michael Slote argues that the difficulty runs much deeper, that it is due to the essential nature of the divergent goods involved in this kind of choice. He shows more generally that perfect human happiness and perfect virtue are impossible inprinciple, a view originally enunciated by Isaiah Berlin, but much more thoroughly and synoptically defended here than ever before. Ancient Greek and modern-day Enlightenment thoughttypically assumed that perfection was possible, and this is also true of Romanticism and of most recent ethical theory. But if, as Slote maintains, imperfection is inevitable, then our inherited categories of virtue and personal good are far too limited and unqualified to allow us to understand and cope with the richer and more complex life that characterizes today's world. And The Impossibility of Perfection argues in particular that we need some new notions, new distinctions, andeven new philosophical methods in order to distill some of the ethical insights of recent feminist thought and arrive at a fuller and more realistic picture of ethical phenomena.

Author Biography

Michael Slote is Professor of Philosophy, University of Miami. He is the author of Morals From Motives, Moral Sentimentalism, Selected Essays, Essays in the History of Ethics, and From Morality to Virtue among others.

Table of Contents

Introduction1. Feminism and Partial Values2. The Impossibility of Perfection3. Alternative Views4. Perfection, Moral Dilemmas, and Moral Cost5. Connections with Care Ethics and Romanticism6. Relational Profiles of Goods and VirtuesConclusionAppendix: Men's Philosophy, Women's Philosophy

Review

"[T]he book is clear, carefully argued, and short enough to be used as part of a class on ethics or feminist theory. These are all virtues I value quite highly, and make this a worthwhile addition to almost anyone's bookshelf."--Hypatia: A Journal for Feminist Philosophy

Promotional

The book utilizes feminist thought and other philosophical considerations to argue in a unique way for an ethical picture of human life that stands in marked contrast with traditional understandings.

Long Description

Most people think that the difficulty of balancing career and personal/family relationships is the fault of present-day society or is due to their own inadequacies. But in this major new book, eminent moral philosopher Michael Slote argues that the difficulty runs much deeper, that it is due to the essential nature of the divergent goods involved in this kind of choice. He shows more generally that perfect human happiness and perfect virtue are impossible in
principle, a view originally enunciated by Isaiah Berlin, but much more thoroughly and synoptically defended here than ever before. Ancient Greek and modern-day Enlightenment thought
typically assumed that perfection was possible, and this is also true of Romanticism and of most recent ethical theory. But if, as Slote maintains, imperfection is inevitable, then our inherited categories of virtue and personal good are far too limited and unqualified to allow us to understand and cope with the richer and more complex life that characterizes today's world. And The Impossibility of Perfection argues in particular that we need some new notions, new distinctions, and
even new philosophical methods in order to distill some of the ethical insights of recent feminist thought and arrive at a fuller and more realistic picture of ethical phenomena.

Review Text

"[T]he book is clear, carefully argued, and short enough to be used as part of a class on ethics or feminist theory. These are all virtues I value quite highly, and make this a worthwhile addition to almost anyone's bookshelf."
--Hypatia: A Journal for Feminist Philosophy

Review Quote

"[T]he book is clear, carefully argued, and short enough to be used as part of a class on ethics or feminist theory. These are all virtues I value quite highly, and make this a worthwhile addition to almost anyone's bookshelf." --Hypatia: A Journal for Feminist Philosophy

Feature

Selling point: The book utilizes feminist thought and other philosophical considerations to argue in a unique way for an ethical picture of human life that stands in marked contrast with traditional understandings.
Selling point: Slote here revives Isaiah Berlin's bold views on the impossibility of perfection in ways that no one has previously attempted.
Selling point: The Appendix describes a new kind of philosophical/ethical methodology that combines and balances (traditionally) "feminine" and "masculine" elements.

Details