Reason and Compassion: The Lindsay Memorial Lectures Delivered at the University of Keele, February-March 1971 and The Swarthmore Lecture Delivered to the Society of Friends 1972

133 Pages·2015·9.069 MB·English

by  Richard S. Peters

Routledge Revivals
Reason and Compassion
First published in 1973, Reason and Compassion showcases a collec-
tion of lectures by Professor Richard S. Peters concerned primarily
with the moral position, based on compassion and on the use of
reason, which is critical to code-encased moralities. He reacts to
the idea that whilst many people are sympathetic towards protests
against an established moral code, they are reluctant to align
themselves with modern forms of nihilism, subjectivism and
romantic revolt.
The work studies the implications for moral education and takes
account of modern work ethics, development psychology and
philosophy of religion. It presents its findings in a way which can
be appreciated by specialists and non-specialists alike. By making
a distinction between the form of the moral consciousness and the
content of particular moralities, Peters reconciles the development
approach of Piaget with the approaches of other schools of
thought, including the Freudians and social learning theorists.
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Reason and Compassion
Richard S. Peters
Firstpublishedin1973
byRoutledge&KeganPaulLtd
Thiseditionfirstpublishedin2015byRoutledge
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andbyRoutledge
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RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness
©1973RichardS.Peters
TherightofRichardS.Peterstobeidentifiedasauthorofthisworkhas
been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproduced
orutilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,
nowknownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,
or in any informationstorage or retrieval system, without permission in
writingfromthepublishers.
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The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this
reprintbutpointsoutthatsomeimperfectionsintheoriginalcopiesmay
beapparent.
Disclaimer
The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and
welcomescorrespondencefromthosetheyhavebeenunabletocontact.
ALibraryofCongressrecordexistsunderLCcontrolnumber:73080376
ISBN13:978-1-138-88734-3(hbk)
ISBN13:978-1-315-71416-5(ebk)
REASON AND COMPASSION
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REASON AND
COMPASSION
The Lindsay Memoria! Lectures
Delivered at the University of Keele
February-March 1971
and
The Swarthmore Lecture
Delivered to the Society of Friends
1972
by
RICHARD S. PETERS
ROUTLEDGE & KEGAN PAUL
London and Boston
First puhlished in 1973
hy Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd
Broadway House, 68-74 Carter Lane,
London EC4V 5EL and
9 Park Street,
Boston, Mass. 02108, U.S.A.
Printed in Great Britain by
C. Tinling & Co. Ltd
London aud Prescot
© Richard S. Peters 1973
No part of this hook may he reproduced in
any form without permission from the
puhlisher, except for the quotation of hrief
passages in criticism
ISBN 0 7100 7651 7 (c)
ISBN 0 7100 7652 5 (p)
Lihrary of Congress Catalog Card No 73-80376
CONTENTS
==
Preface
Page 7
LECTURE ONE
Morality and Moral Development
Page 9
LECTURE TWO
Moral Development and Moral Learning
Page 33
LECTURE THREE
Reason, Passion and Levels of Life
Page 73
LECTURE FOUR
The Religious Dimension of a Rational Morality
Page
103