The Oxford Handbook of Value Theory

Edited by Iwao Hirose and Jonas Olson

Oxford Handbooks

Provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary debates in value theory
Examines fundamental issues about the nature of value and distinctions between kinds of value and formal properties of value that bear in particular on the possibilities of measuring, comparing, and aggregating value
Serves as a reliable guide to a field that overlaps with many disciplines outside philosophy, including political theory and economics

The Oxford Handbook of Value Theory

Edited by Iwao Hirose and Jonas Olson

Description

Value theory, or axiology, looks at what things are good or bad, how good or bad they are, and, most fundamentally, what it is for a thing to be good or bad. Questions about value and about what is valuable are important to moral philosophers, since most moral theories hold that we ought to promote the good (even if this is not the only thing we ought to do). This Handbook focuses on value theory as it pertains to ethics, broadly construed, and provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary debates pertaining not only to philosophy but also to other disciplines-most notably, political theory and economics.

The Handbook's twenty-two newly commissioned chapters are divided into three parts. Part I: Foundations concerns fundamental and interrelated issues about the nature of value and distinctions between kinds of value. Part II: Structure concerns formal properties of value that bear on the possibilities of measuring and comparing value. Part III: Extensions, finally, considers specific topics, ranging from health to freedom, where questions of value figure prominently.

The Oxford Handbook of Value Theory

Edited by Iwao Hirose and Jonas Olson

Oxford Handbooks

Contributors

Introduction to Value Theory: Iwao Hirose and Jonas Olson

Part I: Foundations
1. Value and Normativity: Michael J. Zimmerman
2. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Value: Toni Rønnow-Rasmussen
3. Doubts about Intrinsic Value: Jonas Olson
4. Value and Desires: Graham Oddie
5. Value and Emotions: Christine Tappolet
6. Neutral and Relative Value: Garrett Cullity
7. Value and Time: Krister Bykvist
8. Monism and Pluralism about Value: Chris Heathwood
9. Prudential Value: Valerie Tiberius
10. Kantian Axiology and the Dualism of Practical Reason: Ralf M. Bader

Part II: Structure
11. Value Incomparability and Incommensurability: Ruth Chang
12. Value Superiority: Gustaf Arrhenius and Wlodek Rabinowicz
13. General and Personal Good: Harsanyi's Contribution to the Theory of Value: John Broome
14. Theories of Value Aggregation: Utilitarianism, Egalitarianism , Prioritarianism: Nils Holtug
15. Organic Unities: Erik Carlson
16. Skepticism about Value Aggregation: Iwao Hirose

Part III: Extensions
17. Value and Cost-Benefit Analysis: Matthew D. Adler
18. The Value of Health: Daniel Hausman
19. Freedom and Its Value: Prasanta Pattanaik and Yongsheng Xu
20. Value in Nature: David Schmidtz
21. Population Axiology: M. A. Roberts
22. The Value of Existence: Gustaf Arrhenius and Wlodek Rabinowicz

Index

The Oxford Handbook of Value Theory

Edited by Iwao Hirose and Jonas Olson

Oxford Handbooks

Author Information

Iwao Hirose is Associate Professor at the Philosophy Department and the School of Environment, McGill University. He is the author of Moral Aggregation (OUP, 2015), Egalitarianism (2015), and The Ethics of Health Care Rationing (with Greg Bognar, 2014). He is also editor of Weighing and Reasoning: Themes from the Philosophy of John Broome (with Andrew Reisner, OUP, 2015).

Jonas Olson is Professor of Practical Philosophy at Stockholm University. He works mainly on value theory, metaethics, and the history of moral philosophy. He is the author of Moral Error Therory: History, Critique, Defence (OUP, 2014).

Contributors:

Matthew D. Adler
Gustaf Arrhenius
Ralf M. Bader
John Broome
Krister Bykvist
Erik Carlson
Ruth Chang
Garrett Cullity
Daniel M. Hausman
Chris Heathwood
Iwao Hirose
Nils Holtug
Graham Oddie
Jonas Olson
Prasanta K. Pattanaik
Wlodek Rabinowicz
M. A. Roberts
Toni Rønnow-Rasmussen
David Schmidtz
Christine Tappolet
Valerie Tiberius
Yongsheng Xu
Michael J. Zimmerman

The Oxford Handbook of Value Theory

Edited by Iwao Hirose and Jonas Olson

Oxford Handbooks

Reviews and Awards

"This handbook collects a nice assortment of papers on value theory, ranging from papers about highly abstract structural features of axiology to applied topics. It is, we think, a helpful addition to the literature. Many of the papers are excellent. Some provide useful summaries of debates...The volume will, we are sure, be useful for teaching the debates, especially at the graduate level...It is well worth reading for both seasoned axiologists and graduate students working in ethics, and it provides a terrific sampling of the state of the art." -- Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online

"After a clear introduction by the editors, the book includes twenty-two new essays divided into three groups. All of the essays are of high quality. Some are more accessible than others, but each essay was well-written and contributes to the overall excellence of the volume...it is a helpful resource to have on the shelf...Many students and instructors would do well to study the essays in this section to clarify their conceptions and inform their arguments regarding values." -- Philosophia Christi