The Impossibility of Perfection: Aristotle, Feminism, and the Complexities of Ethics

178 Pages·2011·0.69 MB·English

by  Michael Slote

THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF PERFECTION
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THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF

PERFECTION
Aristotle, Feminism, and the Complexities of Ethics
Michael Slote
1
3
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Slote, Michael A.
Th e impossibility of perfection : Aristotle, feminism, and the complexities
of ethics/ Michael Slote.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-19-979082-1 (alk. paper)
1. Perfection. 2. Ethics. 3. Aristotle. I. Title. II. Title:
Aristotle, feminism, and the complexities of ethics.
BD233.S57 2011 170—dc22
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
In Memory of ISAIAH BERLIN
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 3
1. Feminism and Partial Values 12
2. Th e Impossibility of Perfection 39
3. Alternative Views 54
4. Perfection, Moral Dilemmas, and Moral Cost 72
5. Connections with Care Ethics and Romanticism 86
6. Relational Profi les of Goods and Virtues 104
Conclusion 123
Appendix: Men’s Philosophy, Women’s Philosophy 131
Notes 139
Index 165
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Kristin Borgwald, Brad Cokelet, Jennifer
Etheridge, Virginia Held, P. J. Ivanhoe, Ben Yelle, and, especially,
Otavio Bueno and Yang Xiao for their helpful comments. I am also
very much indebted to two referees for particular points of criticism
and for very useful suggestions about overall structure and presen-
tation. As always, I owe a great deal to Peter Ohlin of OUP for his
support of the present project and his general encouragement.
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