Metaethics

Name: Metaethics
ISBN: 9787519912406

王海明Research Publishing House · ChinaSep 2023

3.7

Word count: 348 words
Chapters: 31
ISBN: 9787519912406

Report an error Find this book

Summary

This book presents the latest research in metaethics and is divided into three parts: the metaethical system, the categorical system of metaethics, and the proof system of metaethics. It seeks to integrate metaethical achievements past and present, East and West, and by resolving Hume's problem to construct a scientific system of metaethics, thereby analyzing a series of long-debated metaethical problems. It has considerable research and academic value. Wang Haiming is currently a Distinguished Professor at the National Governance Research Institute of Sanya University. Born in 1950 in Zhenlai County, Baicheng City, Jilin Province, he entered the Department of Philosophy at Renmin University of China in 1984 and received his master's degree in philosophy in 1987. In 1993 he transferred to Peking University, where he served successively as professor in the Department of Philosophy, director of the Ethics Teaching and Research Section, and secretary-general of the Applied Ethics Center of Peking University. After retiring from the Department of Philosophy at Peking University in 2013, he was appointed vice president of the National Governance Research Institute of Sanya University.

Editor's review

Professor Wang Haiming's Metaethics is a major scholarly work that systematically explores foundational questions of moral philosophy. Rather than telling readers directly 'what is right or wrong,' it delves into the more fundamental question of 'what it means for something to be right or wrong.' In clear, rigorous academic prose, the author surveys the core issues of metaethics, including the nature of moral language, the objectivity of moral judgments, whether moral facts exist, and the roots of moral motivation. For students of philosophy and ethics, or readers with a deep interest in moral philosophy, this book offers a solid theoretical framework and rich intellectual resources. Its discussion not only revisits the insights of classic writers such as Hume and Moore but also incorporates relevant debates in contemporary analytic philosophy, reflecting the scholarly lineage and cutting-edge developments of metaethics research. Reading it requires some philosophical grounding and patience for speculation, but the reflection and clarification it brings to moral thinking itself far exceeds the value of ordinary normative ethical inquiry, helping readers build a firmer cognitive foundation amid a welter of moral opinions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Undergraduate and graduate students in philosophy, ethics, and related fields
Deep readers with a strong interest in foundational questions of moral philosophy
Scholars seeking a systematic understanding of the development and core topics of metaethics
Readers with some philosophical background seeking intellectual training and theoretical depth

Not a good fit for

Pragmatic readers seeking only concrete behavioral guidance or life advice
Readers lacking experience in philosophical reading who expect light introductory fare

Reading tips

It is advisable to have a foundation in ethics first; introductory works on normative ethics may be read beforehand
Take notes while reading to organize the core arguments and conceptual distinctions of each chapter
Do not insist on fully understanding difficult chapters in one pass; reread them or consult other metaethics literature for support

About the publisher

Research Publishing House China · Founded in 2000

Research Publishing House specializes in thematic publishing, focusing on three main product lines—current affairs, academic frontiers, and the humanities and social sciences—while also covering history, Chinese classics, law, and external publicity. It currently holds 117 titles. A notable strength is its balanced commitment to academic translations and original research: it offers classic translations such as Karl Jaspers' What Is Education? and The Idea of the University, along with studies of Aristotle, as well as methodological works like The Logic of Social Science and From Data Analysis to Theoretical Breakthrough: How to Make Innovative Qualitative Research with Abductive Analysis, and specialized studies including Frontiers in Research on Classic Marxist Texts, Solving the Mystery of the Song Huiyao (Revised Edition), and The Princeton Guide to Historical Research. Its authors include Chinese and international scholars such as Karl Jaspers, James Mahoney, Stephen Timmermans, and Chen Zhichao. Due to limited public information, its full publishing profile remains to be further documented.

版权信息
绪论
一、伦理：词源与定义
二、元伦理与元伦理学：词源与定义
三、元伦理学研究对象
第一章伦理学体系结构：元伦理学在伦理学体系中的位置
一、伦理学界说
二、伦理学对象
三、伦理学体系结构和学科分类：当代西方学术界的研究和论争
第二章元伦理学范畴：伦理学开端概念
一、价值概念：效用价值论
二、价值概念：自然内在价值论
三、价值概念：商品价值论
四、价值反应：评价概念
第三章元伦理学范畴：伦理学初始概念
一、善
二、应该与正当
三、事实与是
第四章元伦理证明：伦理学的价值存在公理和道德价值存在公设
一、伦理学的价值存在本质公理和道德价值存在本质公设
二、伦理学的价值存在结构公理和道德价值存在结构公设
三、伦理学的价值存在性质公理和道德价值存在性质公设
四、关于伦理学价值存在公理和道德价值存在公设的理论
第五章元伦理证明：伦理学的推导公理和推导公设
一、伦理学的价值推导公理和道德价值推导公设
二、伦理学的评价推导公理和道德评价推导公设
三、伦理学的评价真假对错推导公理和道德评价真假对错推导公设
四、伦理学的优良规范推导公理和优良道德规范推导公设
五、关于伦理学推导公理和推导公设的理论
本书所引证的主要书目
索引

FAQ

How does this book differ from ordinary ethics books?

Ordinary ethics (normative ethics) mainly asks 'what should we do,' whereas metaethics asks 'when we say something should be done, what are we actually saying?' It focuses on more fundamental and abstract questions such as moral language and the nature of moral facts.

What prior knowledge is needed to read this book?

Readers are advised to have some understanding of the history of Western philosophy, especially a basic acquaintance with the ethical thought of philosophers such as Hume and Kant. Familiarity with the basic divisions of ethics (such as utilitarianism and deontology) will further aid comprehension of the background discussed in this book.

What is the argumentative style of this book?

This is a rigorous academic work written in the style of analytic philosophy, emphasizing conceptual clarity and logical argumentation. The language is precise but may seem somewhat abstract, requiring readers to stay focused and think actively.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

王海明 Author

Wang Haiming is a Chinese author whose writing focuses mainly on ethics and moral philosophy. Public information about him is limited, and his dates of birth and death, nationality, and educational background are not clearly recorded. Six of his works are included in the collection, among them academic titles such as Principles of Ethics (Third Edition), Virtue Ethics, Metaethics, and A New Theory of Justice: A Value Standard System for State Institutions and State Governance, as well as introductory works for general readers, including Ethics for Middle School Students and The Shape of Morality (excerpt), from a popular Peking University general-education course. His writing spans ethical theory, virtue and metaethical questions, and extends to value standards for state institutions and governance; his books are often grouped under social culture, social science, philosophy reading, and education. Overall, he combines systematic theoretical exposition with an effort to make moral questions clear and readable, balancing scholarly depth with teaching applicability.