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For
more than thirty years Hartmut Kliemt has been one
of the leading philosopher economists in Germany
and worldwide. Following David Hume and the tradition
of the Scottish moralists he uses the term "moral
science" ("Moralwissenschaft")
to denote a unified scientific outlook on all aspects
of human nature and conduct including social relationships
and institutions which are to be understood as a
result of individual conduct.
Moral science in this
sense deals with the world of human action and interaction
in all its different – empirical and normative – dimensions;
it is an approach guided by a fundamental interest
in practical matters of human affairs, their troubles,
shortcomings and possible betterment. As an interdisciplinary
project the research programme of moral science combines
scientific endeavors of philosophy, economics, politics
and the social sciences in general.
This volume in
honor of Hartmut Kliemt includes contributions by
leading scholars in this field. It illustrates the
variety of subjects and problems within moral science
while developing and outlining its common perspective.
The first part comprises papers that examine basic
issues in moral science, such as the capabilities
and limits of rational agency. In the second part,
the economic perspectives on human conduct are expounded.
The articles in the third part exemplify the different
outlooks of a moral science approach to justice and
rights. Finally, in the last part, contributions
from practical ethics demonstrate the scope of moral
reasoning solidly based on the facts of moral practice
without any metaphysical backing.
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