Actual Ethics offers a moral defense of the 'classicalliberal' political tradition and applies it to several of today'svexing moral and political issues. James Otteson argues that aKantian conception of personhood and an Aristotelian conception ofjudgment are compatible and even complementary. He shows why theyare morally attractive, and perhaps most controversially, whencombined, they imply a limited, classical liberal political state.Otteson then addresses several contemporary problems - wealth andpoverty, public education, animal welfare, and affirmative action -and shows how each can be plausibly addressed within the Kantian,Aristotelian and classical liberal framework. Written in clear,engaging, and jargon-free prose, Actual Ethics will give studentsand general audiences an overview of a powerful and rich moral andpolitical tradition that they might not otherwise consider.
