Overview

Detective fiction and philosophy¾moral philosophy in particular¾may seem like an odd combination. Working within the framework offered by neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics, this book makes the case that moral philosophers ought to take murder mysteries seriously, seeing them as a source of ethical insight, and as a tool that can be used to spark the ethical imagination. Detective fiction is a literary genre that asks readers to consider questions of good and evil, justice and injustice, virtue and vice, and is, consequently, a profoundly and inescapably ethical genre. Moreover, in the figure of the detective, readers are presented with an accessible role model who demonstrates the virtues of honesty, courage, and a commitment to justice that are required by those who want to live well as a virtue ethicist would understand it. This book also offers a critique of contemporary moral philosophy, and considers what features a neo-Aristotelian conception of autonomy might display.

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9781498536820

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The Ethical Detective: Moral Philosophy and Detective Fiction, does a stellar job of not only making the often- complex facets of the discipline accessible to a wide readership but also showing how this ancient discipline can offer critics of popular culture valuable new avenues for their own analytical writing and teaching. . . . For philosophical neophytes, Haliburton’s book is the perfect introduction, marrying a keen interest in detective fiction with a thoughtful and accessible writing style that demystifies contemporary ethics and shows how moral philosophy can be, as she writes in her conclusion, made to matter in the everyday. * Clues: A Journal of Detection *

The Ethical Detective: Moral Philosophy and Detective Fiction, does a stellar job of not only making the often- complex facets of the discipline accessible to a wide readership but also showing how this ancient discipline can offer critics of popular culture valuable new avenues for their own analytical writing and teaching. . . . For philosophical neophytes, Haliburton's book is the perfect introduction, marrying a keen interest in detective fiction with a thoughtful and accessible writing style that demystifies contemporary ethics and shows how moral philosophy can be, as she writes in her conclusion, made to matter in the everyday. * Clues: A Journal of Detection *

Author Information

Rachel Haliburton is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Sudbury.

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