Audiobooks narrated by Cliff Robertson

Civility, which comes to us from the Latin word for citizen, includes not only the notions of courtesy and politeness, but also such matters as social relationships and proper conduct in human relationships. For some, civility is the essential glue that holds society together, and it involves such important issues as friendship, altruism, responsibility, dignity, and justice. Aristotle saw civility as a form of friendship, which he understood as a mutual feeling of good will. Aristotle believed that humans are capable of promoting another person’s interest without regard for our own, and he ranked friendships according to their degree of intimacy and commitment. “Character friendship” may be purely selfless; “advantage friendship” is a mixture of self-interest with perhaps some altruism, and this is the basis of civil interaction. By contrast, Thomas Hobbes believed that humans are incapable of sympathy with the interests of others; he said that we are ultimately motivated by self-interest in all of our acts. But recent experiments and theoretical developments have supported the view of David Hume, who believed that humans are naturally sympathetic, with our benevolence (or willingness to act selflessly) guided by such things as reason and custom. Amid many wrenching claims that today’s society is marked by lawlessness and a collapse of moral values, it’s important to reduce sweeping historical generalizations to specific comparisons of time and place. Colonial America, for example, was viewed in retrospect as a coarse age by the more proper nineteenth-century Americans – yet these same nineteenth-century Americans exhibited a great deal of intolerance, and they experienced lawlessness especially in mob violence (e.g. lynchings). In general, specific historical comparison, makes it clear that lawlessness, intolerance, and standards of decorum tend to fluctuate in complex and interdependent ways. Modern American society is marked by a high degree of mobility, a decline in voluntary civic activities, and an emphasis on rights (i.e. what others owe me). The result is rootlessness and detachment from family and friends. Higher crime rates, chiefly among youth, show a strong statistical correlation with lack of self-control. And moral disputes are often marked by dogmatism, the inability or unwillingness to see the moral force behind another point of view. In response, the possibilities for improvement include (1) reinvigorating our civic associations, (2) developing and inculcating self-control, and (3) demanding higher levels of mutual respect and tolerance in the way we speak to and treat one another.

Brian Schrag, Dr. Brian Schrag (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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Thinking About Moral issues

We all know that murder, lying, and stealing are wrong. Many of us have also made up our minds on controversial topics like abortion or capital punishment. Yet we continue to have disagreements about such topics as we struggle to find what is the "right" answer to moral problems. Religious beliefs may provide answers for some, but not everyone is religious. And people often debate social, governmental, and business issues in non-religious terms. Can we supply a secular basis to our inherited Judeo-Christian morality? For some twenty-five centuries, philosophers have attempted to explain and account for our moral experience. They’ve tried to describe what’s worth seeking in human life, along with the moral rules that should guide our behavior and the virtues that constitute human excellence. Three major categories of philosophical ethics stretch back to ancient Greece and continue into the present. One, focusing on the consequences of actions, holds that pleasure or happiness is our basic goal; here the right thing to do is to maximize pleasure or happiness. The second category emphasizes reason, claiming that duty, rights, and justice are basic. The third category considers what it means to lead a good life, along with the role virtue plays in that life. All three trends combine to influence the current discussion of moral problems. By becoming familiar with them, we can learn to think more clearly about moral issues. We can defend our decisions or opinions to others who are affected by them. And we can more effectively participate in today’s discussions about the morality of public policy issues.

Dr. Richard DeGeorge, Richard T. De George (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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Unity In Diversity

In any social arrangement – especially in a nation as large and diverse as the United States – the many differences among people are all too obvious. We have different capacities and resources, and we live with vastly different circumstances and outcomes. Within such splendid diversity, where shall we find a basis for unity? And what can equality possibly mean? Racism has a long and well-known history in the United States, and there have been many struggles to overcome its legacy. Yet many of the attempts to eliminate racism have been coercive, producing a powerful conflict between equality and liberty. Ethnocentrism -- judging others as inferior because of their culture, race, or religious background – presents many of the same kind of problems as racism. A nation of immigrants, such as the U.S., is particularly challenged to accommodate a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, while seeking some common foundation for a sense of unity. Sexism -- the view that a person’s sex overwhelmingly determines his or her social status – joins racism and ethnocentrism as prototypes for many of our most serious moral problems. Among the more recent problems associated with diversity are affirmative action and multiculturalism. These are not only political issues; they also are philosophical disputes that touch our understanding of ourselves as a nation. The United States is simultaneously committed to liberty, justice, and equality. But there is a clear and profound trade-off between liberty and equality. What is the proper balance between these conflicting ideals? And what processes and institutions help us manage the trade-off? It’s clear that a healthy society cannot diminish or suppress the diversity (or difference) that is the source of so many strengths. Yet a healthy nation also must be committed to some common vision, which binds together what otherwise can be a collection of angry and alienated factions. Our task is to find unity in diversity -- e pluribus unum -- a motto that means “out of many, one.”

Dr. Rosemarie Tong, Rosemarie Tong (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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Abortion and Euthanasia

British and American common law traditionally prohibited abortion only after quickening (when the mother feels fetal movements). But after the U.S. Civil War, states began absolutely prohibiting abortion, based primarily on medical concerns. Then in 1973, U.S. abortion law was dramatically changed by the Supreme Court

David James, Dr. David James (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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War, Terrorism, and Violence

There are three major traditions in thinking about the ethics of war: Realism sees war as the suspension of all ethical rules and norms; to a realist, war is non-moral (“war is hell”). Pacifism sees war as an immoral, gross violation of ethics. Pacifists believe that on should follow evil with kindness. Just war theory seeks to identify the right reasons for going to war (jus ad bellum) and right conduct in war (jus in bello). Nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons complicate the moral analysis in just war theory, but the three basic alternatives – realism, pacifism, and just war – are not altered. These three alternatives also may be applied to terrorism and violence, with only slight modifications of certain details.

Dr. Nicholas Fotion, Nicholas Fotion (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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The Family

A family is a social institution, a network of intimate relationships, a psychological shelter from a chaotic world-and much more. Family relationships invoke special expectations and commitments, often involving loyalty in a way that conflicts with the impartial and universal nature of most ethical obligations. The family also is a focal point for broader ethical problems, such as obligations related to healthcare, raising children, caring for the elderly, corporal punishment, interpersonal justice, and other issues. The word "family" originally meant "household," thereby including unrelated people (e.g.servants). However, over time "family" came to refer to relationships established either by blood, marriage, or adoption. In more recent times, the word family has been more broadly used to describe people who voluntarily associated in ways that resemble (but do not necessarily match) traditional family relationships. The word family has also taken on an ideological character, becoming a focal point for ethical and political controversy. This cassette presentation considers critiques of the family from Plato, Mo Tzu, Marx and Engels, and feminists. Also discussed are trends and changes in the divorce law, along with the social, personal, and moral issues related to broken families. Three models of parenting are discussed, describing parents as either child producers, guardians, or providers of life prospects. Also discussed are issues related to childbirth and care for the elderly.

Dr. Laurence Houlgate, Laurence D. Houlgate (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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Property

Property fundamentally marks how we as individuals are related both to other individuals and to society at large. In its strongest form, property absolutely excludes others from possessing, using, or in any way controlling what we own. However, others have insisted that basic human necessity (e.g. hunger) may overrule the power of individual property. The English philosopher John Locke offered a theory of property against which all others have since been measured. Locke said that personal property is a natural right, given by God. One line of his argument emphasizes the human need for self-preservation; here property rights are seen as a necessary instrument for peacefully distributing nature's bounty. Second (and more famously), Locke defends the earliest formation of property in a series of four steps: (1) every person owns his or her self and capacity to work (i.e. his or her labor); (2) by mixing what one owns (labor) with nature's common property, we make other things our own; (3) the consent of others is irrelevant to this process of securing property, and (4) "as much and as good" of nature's bounty must be left for others. Locke says that in later (modern) conditions of scarcity, money allows property to be accumulated without spoilage-and therefore without harm to others. Property owners have a right to bestow or bequeath what they own. If all acquisitions and transfers of property have been just, then unequal accumulations of wealth are not immoral. David Hume criticized Locke, insisting that property is not a natural right but rather a social convention that reflects self-interest and the desire to protect what we own. Jeremy Dentham insisted that only government (rather than society in general) can bestow property rights. Property ultimately involves personal control and security, as often opposed to other individual interests and to the overall interest or advantage of society. This tension is seen in issues like slavery, abortion, euthanasia, organ donation, government regulation, taxation, the power of eminent domain, welfare, and a variety of coercive social programs.

Dr. Raymond Frey, R. G. Frey (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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Punishment

Punishment is a harm or deprivation, imposed by a legitimate authority, based on a legitimate conviction of wrongdoing. In assessing guilt, considerations of intention, action and results are all relevant. Any understanding of punishment depends heavily on our interpretation of both authority and responsibility. Paternalism is one set of beliefs about who should have authority; it obviously has been applied within the family, and it has a highly controversial application in government. The authority of law and the state is a topic of philosophical interest extending at least back to Socrates. The way one understands the role and power of the state in turn depends on assumptions about human nature. The philosopher Thomas Hobbes emphasized the benefits of a "common power," based on the view that mankind is naturally warlike, acquisitive, and egoistic. By contrast, John Locke emphasized the benefits of liberty, based on the view that people are naturally free and equal, forming governments only for the purpose of protecting life and property. Criminal responsibility requires that a person be able to freely conform his conduct to law. An act is excused if the perpetrator did not act voluntarily (e.g. due to insanity); it is justified if there was good reason to voluntarily commit the act. Assigning criminal responsiblity is one of the most difficult and immediate problems in any criminal justice system. Controversy continues today between corporal punishment, imprisonment and capital punishment. Society questions if any of these methods offer retribution for the crime committed.

Crispin Sartwell, Dr. Crispin Sartwell (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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Lying, Secrecy, and Privacy

The moral command not to lie is among the simplest of all moral imperatives. Yet its counterpart, to tell the truth, is a subtle and complicated philosophical topic. Truth-telling is usually viewed as a prima facie duty-a duty "on first sight" which may be overruled by other prima facie duties, such as reparation, justice, gratitude, non-maleficence, beneficence, and self-improvement. St. Thomas Aquinas (following Plato, Aristotle, and others) understood truth to be the correspondence between what we think and the way things really are. By contrast, Spinoza, Leibniz, Hegel, and others have favored a coherence theory, where a new truth must be logically valid and consistent with other known truths. David Hume and the American pragmatists emphasized the role of experience in identifying truth. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said truth is effective communication, and that it exists among a community of truth seekers (who can never reach the fullness of truth, which is God). The philosopher Sissela Bok defines a lie as "any intentionally deceptive message which is stated." However, non-disclosure may also be a lie if it's intentionally deceptive. Secrecy is sometimes a way of forming a special bond with another person or group; it may be a group strategy to secure power, prestige, or profit. Confidentiality is the protection of other people's secrets. Privacy involves the access others have to our personal domain; it involves personal affairs, while secrecy may not. Privacy also may be seen as control over information about personal identity and intimate or sensual contact; it also may be seen as a standard of what is normal or legitimate to know about one another. The right to privacy is fundamentally in tension with the right to know--just as private affairs are in tension with public affairs. Given the modern tendency to politicize private affairs, some have proposed redefining privacy as what one chooses to withdraw from public view.

Dr. Mary Mahowald, Mary Briody Mahowald (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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Love and Sexuality

Love and sex provide two of the primary motives of human life; the need for intimate human contact and to propagate our species. Sex is a powerful, sometimes irrational urge or instinct, but as rational creatures our human understandings and expectations of love transcend mere sexuality. Our cultural tradition says that love ideally finds its fullest expression in marriage, it says that sex properly presupposes marriage, and that the goal or purpose of sex is to eventually conceive children. Sex also can be seen as a source of pleasure and emotional intimacy, or as a special way of communicating care and concern. These different views have profound consequences for what we take to be moral and immoral, or proper and perverse. The concept of love changes with time and culture. In ancient Greece, homoeroticism was an accepted expression of love, while marriages involved power, property, and the domestic task of procreation. During the Middle Ages, love was ideally a spiritual or religious phenomenon; only in the 17th and 18th centuries did "romantic love" emerge. It is little recognized that marriages now tend to be more concerned with love than ever before.

Dr. Robert Solomon, Robert Solomon (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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Human Rights and Civil Rights

Individual rights morally protect a person against oppression by the powerful (such as the democratic majority, the government, or other holders of power). Civil rights are group-oriented; they are legal rights if government recognizes and enforces them. However, civil rights also are rooted in moral rights (i.e. "human rights") to such things as equal protection of the laws. Social contract theories say that individuals have natural rights, and that governments exist to protect those rights (e.g. life, liberty, and property). Utilitarians insist that governments bestow rights according to the general welfare. Communitarians believe that rights must be understood against government's need to encourage citizens to lead good lives. The Western tradition of individual rights seeks to limit government power; the U.S. Constitution embraces this tradition, though it also expresses concern for the more utilitarian goal of "the general welfare." Rights can powerfully conflict, especially as more and more human needs (e.g. food, housing, education, health care) are said to be a matter of human rights. There also are serious controversies about the role of the judiciary in enforcing or implementing rights. Our moral wisdom is seriously tested by the conflicts between rights, and by disputes about how moral rights are to be implemented in the positive rights of civil law.

Dr. John Arthur, John Arthur (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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Drugs and Alcohol

"Drugs," a broad and vague term, usually refers to mind-altering chemicals that people ingest. But this covers a wide range, including medical prescriptions, legal stimulants (e.g. caffeine and tobacco), legal intoxicants (alcohol), and illegal intoxicants. Attitudes toward drugs are similarly variable. Wine is seen as both a religious sacrament and an unacceptable temptation; juvenile smoking can be seen as a premature imitation of adult behavior or as rebellion. Many currently legal drugs were banned when first introduced in various countries but the bans proved unenforceable. Consumers eventually have come to use less powerful (and more manageable) forms of tobacco, coffee, and alcohol. In the U.S., drugs of all kinds (including opiates) were legal and widely available until the 20th century, especially before the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914. Prohibition of alcohol (1920 - 1933) was a failed "Noble Experiment," with highly contested effects on lawlessness, health, and patterns of alcohol consumption. Prohibition also is a major source of lessons for later problems with illegal drugs. Marijuana, a member of the hemp family, has been grown as a source of fiber, and used as a medicine or intoxicant, since antiquity. Anti-marijuana sentiment, and the belief that marijuana causes criminal behavior, led to the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. The 1970 Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention & Control Act (a.k.a. the Controlled Substances Act) established a systematic and consolidated U.S. drug code, ranking drugs in five classes according to their potential for abuse, medical usefulness , and safety. Drugs also can be pharmacologically classified as stimulants, depressants, narcotics , or hallucinogens. Many people argue that drugs should be much more broadly legalized, with their use (and consequences) left to individual conscience and responsibility. But the consequences for health, lawlessness, and patterns of drug use are as highly disputed as they were for Prohibition. Much depends on whether the law is understood to be a description of ideal behavior or a minimal standard of conduct; whether law should protect people from themselves; and to what degree drug-taking causes or encourages criminal behavior.

Dr. Rod L. Evans, Rod L. Evans (Author), Cliff Robertson, Robert Guillaume (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Cliff Robertson