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 | | Suffering and Moral Responsibility (Oxford Ethics Series) by Jamie Mayerfeld ISBN-10: 9780195115994 ISBN-10: 0-19-511599-6 ISBN-13: 9780195115994 ISBN-13: 978-0-19-511599-4 Hardcover 1999-09-02 Oxford University Press, USA Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description In this original study, Jamie Mayerfeld undertakes a careful inquiry into the meaning and moral significance of suffering. Understanding suffering in hedonistic terms as an affliction of feeling, he addresses difficulties associated with its identification and measurement. He then turns to an examination of the duty to relieve suffering: its content, its weight relative to other moral considerations, and the role it should play in our lives. Among the claims defended in the book are that suffering needs to be distinguished from both physical pain and the frustration of desire, that interpersonal comparisons of the intensity of happiness and suffering are possible, that several psychological processes hinder our awareness of other people's suffering, and that the prevention of suffering should often be pursued indirectly. Mayerfeld concludes his discussion by arguing that the reduction of suffering is morally more important than the promotion of happiness, and that most of us greatly underestimate the force of the duty to prevent suffering. As the first systematic book-length inquiry into the moral significance of suffering, Suffering and Moral Responsibility makes an important contribution to moral philosophy and political theory, and will interest specialists in each of these areas. | ||
Reviews | ||
One of the Most Profoundly Important Books of Our Time As I read this book, I realized how difficult it must have been to write. It explores such a new territory of philosophy in a true scientific fashion. Its arguments are vitally important to the average person today. If we have one day of our time to donate to alleviate suffering, do we? If we have $100 of our money to donate to alleviate pain, do we? And who do we donate our time and money to? Does the average person read stories of hunger and starvation in other countries, or do we tend to turn our attention to the divorces of movie stars? The Western world likes to pride itself on moral responsibility, and some have what is referred to as 'compassion fatigue'. Jamie Mayerfeld wants to measure the degree of suffering of each individual, as possibly an effort to ensure that our own compassion is divided accordingly. This book is a technical read for those who will attempt it, but it is worth the effort of those who care enough to wonder if their compassion is truly being delivered to the one person most in need. | ||