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Sentience and Sensibility

A Conversation about Moral Philosophy

By Silliman, Matthew R. & Johnson, David J.

Publishers Summary:
Sentience and Sensibility is a lively and thought-provoking fictional conversation between an immigration officer named Harriet Taylor and an immigrating philosopher named Manual Kant, who is seeking `philosophical asylum' in the United States. In the course of Mr. Kant's application the two unlikely interlocutors develop a friendship and a compelling dialogue that continues over several days. The topics they discuss range from "microbe morality," "Cooperation in bats," and "Cat-consciousness," to such fundamental and current concerns as "Truth," "Postmodernism," "Political courage," the "Pro-Life/Pro-Choice" debate, "Vegetarianism," "Torture," "Education," "Animal rights," "Moral Progress," and "Parenting." This is a stimulating introduction to some of today's cutting-edge moral theory. It also advances a new and unifying view according to which moral value is best understood as an emergent property of sentience: complex (irreducible to a unitary principle) and scalar (a matter of incremental degree). As such Silliman's account may bridge the gap, or at least split the difference, between those who think everything (or everything living) has intrinsic moral value, and those who would restrict moral importance to humans alone. Philosophical page-turners are finding an avid readership. This conversation is accessible and engaging and addresses matters of natural human concern with rigor and originality. Additionally, it will serve as an excellent companion text for all courses in Moral philosophy and Ethics.

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ISBN

978-1-93097-207-0

Publisher

Parmenides Publishing