Philosophy Quotes

"We cannot use some persons merely as means to help others."

"We should be skeptical of grand theories that override individual rights."

"Moral theory must account for the separateness and distinctness of persons."

"Morality consists of side constraints that limit our pursuit of goals."

"Voluntary cooperation among individuals is the basis of social order."

"Individuals have inviolable rights that deserve respect."

"Respect for persons requires respecting their choices and projects."

"We should be wary of theories that sacrifice individuals for the collective good."

"Moral philosophy must begin with respect for individual rights."

"The virtues were not invented any more than planets and motion were invented, they were discovered."

"Emotivism is the doctrine that all evaluative judgments and more specifically all moral judgments are nothing but expressions of preference, expressions of attitude or feeling."

"The social embodiment of a practice is an institution."

"The liberal self is not grounded in any particular conception of the good."

"Moral disagreement reflects disagreement about what constitutes human flourishing."

"The loss of the concept of virtue has impoverished our moral language."

"Modernity severed us from the traditions that gave life meaning."

"Human beings are the sort of creatures who have a telos, a purpose or end."

"Moral philosophy has lost sight of the concept of human flourishing."

"The loss of shared conceptions of virtue has fractured our moral language."

"To understand human flourishing requires understanding our nature as social beings."

"Moral disagreement is sometimes rationally irresolvable without appeal to tradition."

"The modern rejection of teleology has left us without a conception of human flourishing."

"The narrative of a life can only be judged from within a tradition."

"We are fundamentally historical beings; we cannot escape our traditions."

"The loss of virtue concepts has impoverished modern moral psychology."

"The good for humans is not given by nature but discovered through tradition."

"The human telos is achieved through the cultivation of virtue in community."

"Existence precedes essence; we are not born with predetermined purpose but create it through our choices."

"We are thrown into a world not of our choosing and must navigate it with authenticity."

"The paradox of human existence: we are free, yet we seek to deny our freedom."