Supererogation

Cover
Cambridge University Press, 1982 - 191 Seiten
Actions that go 'beyond the call of duty' are a common though not commonplace part of everyday life - in heroism, self-sacrifice, mercy, volunteering, or simply in small deeds of generosity and consideration. Almost universally they enjoy a high and often unique esteem and significance, and are regarded as, somehow, peculiarly good. Yet it is not easy to explain how - for if duty exhausts the moral life there is no scope to praise supererogatory acts, and if the consequentialist is right there are no grounds for awarding them a special status. However, despite the distinctiveness of supererogation and the difficulty of accounting for it, philosophers have paid surprisingly little attention to the concept, and until now no thorough and systematic treatment of it has been proposed. This is what David Heyd offers in this book. His study will stimulate philosophers to recognise the importance of this rather neglected topic, and to take a fresh critical look at their theories in the light of its singular importance.
 

Inhalt

Outlines of a theory of supererogation
6
Theological origins in Christianity
15
the GrecoRoman view
35
Kant on supererogation
49
Beyond duty in contract theories
95
the contract
105
Some paradigm cases
142
The limits of moral duty
165
Bibliography
184
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