Works Righteousness

Works Righteousness is the first full-length study of the place of practice in ethical theory. It is a critique of the idealism of dominant approaches, an analysis of alternative models in which practice plays a more significant role, and an argument for taking practice seriously both in broad questions about ethical theory and in concrete case studies. The book’s main argument is that what people actually do should be central to ethical theory. Rather than assuming that pre-established moral ideas guide action, ethicists should acknowledge and explore the ways that practices generate values and the mutual shaping between ideas and actions. This argument challenges dominant philosophical and religious theories that assume that ideas are what really matter. Works Righteousness analyses the place of practice in these traditions, showing the links between their emphasis on internal states and simple, linear relationships between ideas, actions, and results. These themes are challenged by alternative models such as pragmatism, Marxism, and religious pacifism, which give practice a larger role and in the process highlight important themes such as the way social structures condition moral ideas and actions, the dangers of thinking about moral problems as polarized dilemmas, and the complex mutual shaping of ideas and actions. A practice-focused approach sheds new light on concrete case studies, underlining the value of attention to people’s concrete experiences and relationships in efforts to analyse and address contemporary problems such as hate speech, euthanasia, and climate change.