The Theory of Morality

by Alan Donagan

"Let us...nominate this the most important theoretical work on ethical or moral theory since John Rawls's Theory of Justice. If you have philosophical inclinations & want a good workout, this conscientious scrutiny of moral assumptions & expressions will be most rewarding. Donagan explores ways of acting in the Hebrew-Christian context, examines them in the light of natural law & rational theories, & proposes that formal patterns for conduct can emerge. All this is tightly reasoned, the argument is packed, but the language is clear."—Christian Century
"The man value of this book seems to me to be that it shows the force of the Hebrew-Christian moral tradition in the hands of a creative philosopher. Throughout the book, one cannot but feel that a serious philosopher is trying to come to terms with his religious-moral background & to defend it against the prevailing secular utilitarian position which seems to dominate academic philosophy."—Bernard Gert, Journal of Medicine & Philosophy

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

294 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1977

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The single most influential philosophy book I read while studying philosophy for my masters degree. Reframes Kantian deontology in a more accessible way. I don't necessarily agree with anchoring everything in the Judeo-Christian culture, but it doesn't detract from the relevance of his work.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was required for David Ozar's Ethics Survey course at Loyola University Chicago during the first semester of 1980/81. Pulling down my copy of it I find annotations throughout, indicating that I read it carefully. However, despite the comparison with Rawls in its description, this book made no lasting impression on me. However, as Donald Evans wrote: "Donagan's aim is to provide a theory by which all moral systems may be judged."--which certainly sounds important.