Fred Feldman, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is widely recognized for his subtle defense of hedonistic consequentialism and for his plain-spoken and exact philosophical style. This book collects new and original articles from an international team of scholars to celebrate his philosophical contributions. The three main topics of the book - moral goodness, moral rightness and the ethical and metaphysical puzzles posed by death - are topics that have occupied Professor Feldman throughout his philosophical career. Each contribution advances the state of the art in analytical ethics and metaphysics through critical analysis of previous work and the formulation of new positions. As a collection, these essays represent a sustained reflection on the merits and limitations of a whole, integrated research program in moral philosophy: hedonistic consequentialism.
This book presents and defends a novel theory of distributive justice, according to which political economic distributive justice reigns in a state if the government of that state ensures that citizens receive the benefits and burdens they deserve from it. The book starts with a more precise characterization of the target of this inquiry - political economic distributive justice. It then proceeds to explicate the concept of desert, evaluate proposed ways of justifying desert claims, formulate a number of desertist theories of justice, and draw out the special features of the version defended here. Once the proposed form of desertism has been stated, its implications are compared to those of egalitarianism, luck egalitarianism, sufficientism, the difference principle, libertarianism, and prioritarianism, with the aim of showing that desertism yields more attractive results in cases that prove difficult for other theories currently being discussed in the literature. Arguments - especially arguments deriving from Rawls -- against desertism are explained and shown to be ineffective. There is discussion of the distinction between comparative and non-comparative justice. Emphasis is placed on the distinction between (a) theories about the moral rightness of distributions, (b) theories about the intrinsic value of distributions, and (c) theories specifically about the justice of distributions. There is discussion of the unfortunate results of confusion of these different sorts of theory. The views of Rawls, Nozick, Parfit, Frankfurt, Feinberg and others are discussed. A version of the method of reflective equilibrium is explained and defended. The book concludes with a series of admissions concerning puzzles that remain unsolved.
What is death? Do people survive death? What do we mean when we say that someone is "dying"? Presenting a clear and engaging discussion of the classic philosophical questions surrounding death, this book studies the great metaphysical and moral problems of death. In the first part, Feldman shows that a definition of life is necessary before death can be defined. After exploring several of the most plausible accounts of the nature of life and demonstrating their failure, he goes on to propose his own conceptual scheme for death and related concepts. In the second part, Feldman turns to ethical and value-theoretical questions about death. Addressing the ancient Epicurean ethical problem about the evil of death, he argues that death can be a great evil for those who die, even if they do not exist after death, because it may deprive them of the goods they would have enjoyed if they had continued to live. Confrontations with the Reaper concludes with a novel consequentialist theory about the morality of killing, applying it to such thorny practical issues as abortion, suicide, and euthanasia.
This edition of the collected short stories is a distillation of many works written by Fred Feldman. They focus on the private lives of outwardly successful middle class Americans. These stories examine their personal successes and many hidden insecurities.
According to an ancient and still popular view — sometimes known as 'eudaimonism' — a person's well-being, or quality of life, is ultimately determined by his or her level of happiness. According to this view, the happier a person is, the better off he is. The doctrine is controversial in part because the nature of happiness is controversial. In What Is This Thing Called Happiness? Fred Feldman presents a study of the nature and value of happiness. Part One contains critical discussions of the main philosophical and psychological theories of happiness. Feldman presents arguments designed to show that each of these theories is problematic. Part Two contains his presentation and defense of his own theory of happiness, which is a form of attitudinal hedonism. On this view, a person's level of happiness may be identified with the extent to which he or she takes pleasure in things. Feldman shows that if we understand happiness as he proposes, it becomes reasonable to suppose that a person's well-being is determined by his or her level of happiness. This view has important implications not only for moral philosophy, but also for the emerging field of hedonic psychology. Part Three contains discussions of some interactions between the proposed theory of happiness and empirical research into happiness.
Since ancient times, hedonism has been one of the most attractive and controversial theories. In this text, the author presents a careful, modern formulation of hedonism, defending the theory against some of the most important objections.
Several years ago I came across a marvelous little paper in which Hector-Neri Castaneda shows that standard versions of act utilitarian l ism are formally incoherent. I was intrigued by his argument. It had long seemed to me that I had a firm grasp on act utilitarianism. Indeed, it had often seemed to me that it was the clearest and most attractive of normative theories. Yet here was a simple and relatively uncontrover sial argument that showed, with only some trivial assumptions, that the doctrine is virtually unintelligible. The gist of Castaneda's argument is this: suppose we understand act utilitarianism to be the view that an act is obligatory if and only if its utility exceeds that of each alternative. Suppose it is obligatory for a certain person to perform an act with two parts - we can call it 'A & B'. Then, obviously enough, it is also obligatory for this person to perform the parts, A and B. If act utilitarianism were true, we appar ently could infer that the utility of A & B is higher than that of A, and higher than that of B (because A & B is obligatory, and the other acts are alternatives to A & B).
Fred Feldman has made a substantial contribution to utilitarian moral philosophy. In this collection, ten previously published essays plus a new introductory essay reveal the striking originality and unity of his views. Feldman's utilitarianism differs from traditional forms in that it evaluates behavior by appeal to the values of accessible worlds. He also deals with problems of justice affecting standard forms of utilitarianism. The collection is suited for courses on contemporary utilitarian theory.
Mishkin's Paradise, Fred Feldman's play in two acts, is a striking drama of miscarried hope and the extremes of the American dream. It is a universal tale of family conflict and recovery. There is a little of the fallen hero, Leon Mishkin, in each and every one of us. Mishkin goes through life making hard choices that affect his business, family, and emotional well-being. He is recalled by his only son, Arnie, now a grown man, and the head of the business Leon so painstaking worked to build. Arnie returns to his birth place on the Lower East Side of New York to reconnect with his roots. What he finds is the reality of his difficult childhood experiences with a tough, hard-driving father and deceased mother, Esther. The lengths to which Leon goes to fulfill his career goals is evidenced by his cousin and building superintendent, Morris Lewis. Morris is the dark side of Leon's moon. He unlocks the secret of Leon Mishkin's questionable deals that doomed his family.
Misfortune . . . Failure . . . Illness . . . It seems adversity dooms us to lives of frustration. Not so, according to dynamic industrialist and major philanthropist Al Weatherhead. He says adversity is not a curse but a gift--and that when we embrace our problems we temper and empower ourselves to achieve unimagined success. With insight and compassion, Weatherhead helps us understand that the question we must ask ourselves when bowled over by life's troubles is not "Why me?” but instead, "Why not me?” In the process, this pragmatic and profound book reveals the secret to achieving a greater understanding and mastery of life by harnessing the Power of Adversity.
The Lower East Side of New York City, now famous for its gentrification, was once a very different place. It was, of course, very well-known for the role it played housing the immigrants from Eastern Europe. But as 1900 was turning into the twenty-first century, the Lower East Side was alive with singers, musicians, actors, writers, and directors. They would form companies and rent fifty-seat storefronts and put on their plays and musicals . It was in this time that the one-act plays in this book were created and performed. Also in this time, the now famous and much produced play Mishkin's Paradise was born.
Fred Feldman's first novel, "The Moon Canopy, " is a vivid portrayal of life in SOHO during the early 1970s. An inviting studio apartment on Chrystie Street attracts an offbeat artist named Geronimo Sabat and a middle class Jewish gallery girl. Sabat, without a penny to his name, declares himself renter of the apartment. Along the way, he begins an off-kilter courtship with Leah, an aspiring artist in her own right. Their love affair blossoms under the weary eye of Saltzman, owner of the building and unwanted father figure to Leah. As time passes, their love raises many questions about art, life, race, class, and coming of age.
A Guide to Hematology is a valuable, hands-on, laboratory manual for the practitioner and technician. It provides step-by-step guidelines for the collection and processing of blood samples and interpretation of the hemogram. It also serves as a guide to patient assessment and treatment planning for all common hematological disorders and diseases in
This book is a modern-day fable about Licorice, a house cat who get tired of the same old life of mouse-hunting. He goes off on a quest for adventure. The world Licorice sees is far from perfect, so he tries to change it. Follow along as Licorice makes the Earth a better place to live. In addition to a published novel entitled The Moon Canopy, Fred Feldman is the author of the full-length play Mishkin's Paradise and Five, a collection of one-act plays.
Living in a society from which we have learned to accept values based on material gain and the strong need to be a winner, many of us have lost appreciation for the value of positive human relations and the understanding of life's realities. Some people find themselves searching for the light of happiness in a dark, endless tunnel, as a stranger in a crowd of familiar faces, or as a lonely winner. Our society stands at the threshold of a great reawakening filled with an expanded understanding of life's meaning and value. This is a book for those who wish to re-appraise their identities and will help them to find their true feelings and what they really wish to do with their lives. Here are the guidelines for achieving inner happiness and peace of mind.
Since ancient times, hedonism has been one of the most attractive and controversial theories. In this text, the author presents a careful, modern formulation of hedonism, defending the theory against some of the most important objections.
Fred Rogers's gentle spirit and passion for children's television takes center stage in this collection of interviews spanning his nearly forty-year career Nearly twenty years after his death, Fred Rogers remains a source of comfort and fond memories for generations who grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Over the course of his career, Rogers revolutionized children's television and changed the way experts thought about the educational power of media. But perhaps his most lasting legacy was demonstrating the power of simply being nice to other people. In this collection of interviews, including his fiery (for him) 1969 senate testimony that saved PBS and his final interview with Diane Rehm, Rogers's gentle spirit and compassionate approach to life continues to be an inspiration. An introduction by David Bianculli provides brilliantly contextualizes the interviews and offers a contemporary reading of Rogers's storied career.
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