Books
Israel, Palestine, and the Trolley Problem:
On the Futility of the Search for the Moral High Ground
The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota. Recommended for general and scholarly audiences.
Arguments about Israel and Palestine are almost always accusatory and polemical. Rather than learning from one another, opponents jockey for the moral high ground trying to find that one attack they believe proves their side to be completely on the right, without compromise. This means Israel’s advocates dismiss Palestinian land claims without due consideration and Pro-Palestinian voices falsely accuse Israel of the most heinous modern crimes: colonialism, genocide, and apartheid. None of this is productive or healthy.
In Israel, Palestine, and the Trolley Problem: On he Futility of the Search for the Moral High Ground, philosopher Jack Russell Weinstein interweaves philosophy, history, politics, and personal experience to expose the argumentative mistakes we all make too often. Mapping out moral psychology—how we actually make moral decisions—and using the famous Trolley Problem as a metaphor, Weinstein paves the way for a new, more empathetic exchange of ideas about today’s most puzzling moral dilemma: how to find peace in the Middle East.
Download for free or order a paperback from Amazon.com
Click here for more information and for an excerpt from the introduction.
On the Futility of the Search for the Moral High Ground
The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota. Recommended for general and scholarly audiences.
Arguments about Israel and Palestine are almost always accusatory and polemical. Rather than learning from one another, opponents jockey for the moral high ground trying to find that one attack they believe proves their side to be completely on the right, without compromise. This means Israel’s advocates dismiss Palestinian land claims without due consideration and Pro-Palestinian voices falsely accuse Israel of the most heinous modern crimes: colonialism, genocide, and apartheid. None of this is productive or healthy.
In Israel, Palestine, and the Trolley Problem: On he Futility of the Search for the Moral High Ground, philosopher Jack Russell Weinstein interweaves philosophy, history, politics, and personal experience to expose the argumentative mistakes we all make too often. Mapping out moral psychology—how we actually make moral decisions—and using the famous Trolley Problem as a metaphor, Weinstein paves the way for a new, more empathetic exchange of ideas about today’s most puzzling moral dilemma: how to find peace in the Middle East.
Download for free or order a paperback from Amazon.com
Click here for more information and for an excerpt from the introduction.
Adam Smith's Pluralism:
Rationality, Education, and the Moral Sentiments
Yale University Press, 2013. Recommended for more scholarly audiences.
In this thought-provoking study, Jack Russell Weinstein suggests the foundations of liberalism can be found in the writings of Adam Smith (1723–1790), a pioneer of modern economic theory and a major figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. While offering an interpretive methodology for approaching Smith’s two major works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, Weinstein argues against the libertarian interpretation of Smith, emphasizing his philosophies of education and rationality. Weinstein also demonstrates that Smith should be recognized for a prescient theory of pluralism that prefigures current theories of cultural diversity.
Order this book at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com
Click here for more information and for an excerpt from the introduction.
Rationality, Education, and the Moral Sentiments
Yale University Press, 2013. Recommended for more scholarly audiences.
In this thought-provoking study, Jack Russell Weinstein suggests the foundations of liberalism can be found in the writings of Adam Smith (1723–1790), a pioneer of modern economic theory and a major figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. While offering an interpretive methodology for approaching Smith’s two major works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, Weinstein argues against the libertarian interpretation of Smith, emphasizing his philosophies of education and rationality. Weinstein also demonstrates that Smith should be recognized for a prescient theory of pluralism that prefigures current theories of cultural diversity.
Order this book at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com
Click here for more information and for an excerpt from the introduction.
On MacIntyre
Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2003. Recommended for general and scholarly audiences.
How are we to live? What makes someone a good person, and how are we to figure out which way of life is to be preferred over others? These are the questions that concern Alasdair MacIntyre, one of the most important philosophical voices of the late twentieth century. With a sweeping knowledge of history and an eloquent style of writing, MacIntyre convinces his readers that morality is inseparable from cultural heritage, and that different ways of reasoning are in constant conflict. He describes a world in which rival moral systems struggle to survive and to overshadow their competitors, and one in which beliefs can only be defended by appealing to important texts, sacred scriptures, and lengthy histories..
On Alasdair MacIntyre is ideal for those who seek an introduction to the most current and controversial philosophical debates. It provides a summary account of MacIntyre’s fifty-year career in clear and accessible language, culminating in a chapter defending MacIntyre against his most vocal critics. Readers of this book will develop a strong sense of MacIntyre’s importance, his strengths and weaknesses, and his connection to modern philosophy. Readers will also be able to use this book as a foundation for further reading in both moral theory and philosophy.
Order this book at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com
Click here for more information.
Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2003. Recommended for general and scholarly audiences.
How are we to live? What makes someone a good person, and how are we to figure out which way of life is to be preferred over others? These are the questions that concern Alasdair MacIntyre, one of the most important philosophical voices of the late twentieth century. With a sweeping knowledge of history and an eloquent style of writing, MacIntyre convinces his readers that morality is inseparable from cultural heritage, and that different ways of reasoning are in constant conflict. He describes a world in which rival moral systems struggle to survive and to overshadow their competitors, and one in which beliefs can only be defended by appealing to important texts, sacred scriptures, and lengthy histories..
On Alasdair MacIntyre is ideal for those who seek an introduction to the most current and controversial philosophical debates. It provides a summary account of MacIntyre’s fifty-year career in clear and accessible language, culminating in a chapter defending MacIntyre against his most vocal critics. Readers of this book will develop a strong sense of MacIntyre’s importance, his strengths and weaknesses, and his connection to modern philosophy. Readers will also be able to use this book as a foundation for further reading in both moral theory and philosophy.
Order this book at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com
Click here for more information.
On Adam Smith
Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2000. Recommended for general and scholarly audiences.
Adam Smith is generally regarded as the father of modern capitalism; the first person to describe the process of the free market in a systematic way. But he is also a moral philosopher extraordinaire with a wide range of work that will challenge and intrigue people with diverse interests in philosophy, economics, political science, sociology, anthropology, and history.
This introductory text assists readers in understanding Smith's philosophy so they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content.
Order this book at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com
Click here for more information.
Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2000. Recommended for general and scholarly audiences.
Adam Smith is generally regarded as the father of modern capitalism; the first person to describe the process of the free market in a systematic way. But he is also a moral philosopher extraordinaire with a wide range of work that will challenge and intrigue people with diverse interests in philosophy, economics, political science, sociology, anthropology, and history.
This introductory text assists readers in understanding Smith's philosophy so they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content.
Order this book at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com
Click here for more information.
Edited Volumes
 An academic journal issue focused on recent work in Adam Smith studies. It is specifically concerned with the tension between reading Smith during his time and reading him for contemporary relevance.
|
An academic journal issue focused on public philosophy in the university. Some articles tend to me more technical or professionalized, but others, including Jack Weinstein's, are suitable for a general audience. Click on the image to download the articles for free.
|
A philosophy magazine intended for general audiences. Click on the image to download the issue for free.
|
A scholarly journal containing a special symposium on Adam Smith and education edited by Jack Russell Weinstein. Recommended for more scholarly audiences.
|
A scholarly journal issue dedicated to examining the role of critical thinking in political philosophy. Recommended for more scholarly audiences. Available only in select libraries.
|
Proceedings of the first annual Junior Visiting Fellow's Conference at the Institut fuer die Wissenschaften vom Menschen, organized by Jack Russell Weinstein. Recommended for more scholarly audiences. Out of Print.
|
