Overview

L. Nandi Theunissen develops a non-Kantian account of the value of human beings. Against the Kantian tradition, in which humanity is absolutely valuable and unlike the value of anything else, Theunissen outlines a relational proposal according to which our value is continuous with the value of other valuable things. She takes the Socratic starting point that good is affecting, and more particularly, that good is a notion of benefit. If people are bearers of value, the proposal is that our value is no exception. Theunissen explores the possibility that our value is explained through reciprocal relations, or relations of interdependence, as when--as daughters, or teachers, or friends--we benefit others by being part or constitutive of relationships with them. She also investigates the possibility that we can be said to stand in a valuable relationship with ourselves. Ultimately, in The Value of Humanity, she proposes that people are of value because we are constituted in such a way that we can be good for ourselves in the sense that we are able to lead flourishing lives. Intuitively, a person matters because she matters to herself in a very particular sort of way; to appropriate a phrase, she is a being for whom her life can be an issue.

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9780198832645

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Reviews

Literate, scholarly, and daringly original, The Value of Humanity will engage and enlighten any philosopher or student of philosophy thinking about the value of humanity-or, indeed, about value in general. It makes a welcome advance in ethics and moral psychology. * J. David Velleman, New York University *

What makes humanity valuable? What is it for us (or anything) to be valuable? What is value? These are among the deepest questions of moral philosophy, and [Theunissen's] answers are provocative. This concise, elegantly written, and engaging work will be at the centre of metaethical debate for years to come. * Richard Kraut,, Mind * More philosophy books should be like this. It is short and tightly focused on defending a small handful of views. The theses themselves are creative yet well situated in larger traditions. The argument is detailed and rigorous without becoming tedious. Tangents and detours are kept to a minimum. I learned a healthy amount about an area I thought I knew well. Anyone interested in the topic of the title owes the book careful attention. [...] I am sure philosophers interested in value will be wrestling with them for years to come. * Kenneth Walden, Ethics * The Value of Humanity tackles a wide range of topics with admirable clarity [...] readers will no doubt find much of interest [...] both in terms of its central argument and its historical inspiration. * Rory O'Connell, Philosophy * This book can be considered one of the 'must-read' items in contemporary metaethics. * Theptawee Chokvasin, Suranaree Journal of Social Science * Literate, scholarly, and daringly original, The Value of Humanity will engage and enlighten any philosopher or student of philosophy thinking about the value of humanity-or, indeed, about value in general. It makes a welcome advance in ethics and moral psychology. * J. David Velleman, New York University * How should we understand goodness, so that we don't just account for the good book and the good action, but also for the special value of persons? This book makes the novel and ingenious proposal that the value of humanity is an integrated dimension of value theory in general. According to The Value of Humanity, the relation of benefit explains goodness in all cases. * Katja Maria Vogt, Columbia University *

Author Information

L. Nandi Theunissen is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh.

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