Contract ethics : evolutionary biology and the moral sentiments /

In 25 short chapters, Kahane (Univ. of Maryland) combines a subjectivist ethical theory with implications of data from empirical sociobiology and evolutionary theory about the origins of altruism and its uses in contractarian ethics. Some chapters have slightly misleading titles--e.g., "Desirable Unfair Outcomes"--in which the author notes that "economic considerations sometimes require unfair distributions of wealth ...." But his arguments suggest he means "redistribution," not "unfair distributions," since use of "unfair" begs the question of what is fair. Kahane distinguishes his views from those of Rawls and other theorists, providing excellent criticisms of Gauthier's "Why be moral?" skeptics, and of libertarianism, especially the arguments of Tibor Machan. He treats Hume simplistically as a subjectivist. Many students will be provoked to respond to arguments here that even the most basic rights are generated from societal agreement, and not "naturally." This is a clear, readable set of essays and arguments for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in ethics. S. S. Merrill Purdue University--Calumet