Library Reference: N/A

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534584306/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233793391&sr=8-1

Quote:  “One should be happy that they ever treat us well”

What I expect to learn:

    I expect to learn nature and value of rights and the importance of values in the society.

Book Review:

    “Joel Feinberg (October 19, 1926 - March 29, 2004) was an American political and social philosopher. He is known for his work in the fields of individual rights and the authority of the state.[1] Feinberg helped in shaping the American legal landscape.

Feinberg studied at the University of Michigan, writing his dissertation on the philosophy of the Harvard professor Ralph Barton Perry under the supervision of Charles Stevenson. He taught at Brown University, Princeton University, UCLA and Rockefeller University, and at the University of Arizona, where he retired in 1994 as Regents Professor of Philosophy and Law.

Feinberg was internationally distinguished for his research in moral, social and legal philosophy. His major four volume work, The Moral Limits of Criminal Law, was published between 1984 and 1988. Feinberg held many major fellowships during his career and lectured by invitation at universities around the world. He was an esteemed and highly successful teacher, and many of his students are now prominent scholars and professors at universities across the country.” (Wikipedia. Retrieved Febrauary 8, 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/Joel_Feinberg)

    Nowheresville has two views; first, what is distinctive about rights is that they enable people to make claims. The doctrine of the logical correlativity of rights and duties assert that the person rights are linked with duties and other people. Second, rights are valuable because the ability to make claims is necessary for self-respect. To have claim-rights you must have duties to perform. Feinberg explains that personal desert is kind of fittingness of one to other people or party. This will result to praising to you by other people.

What I learned:

    I learned that rights are very important not only because we need it but it gives us security and discipline.

Review Question:

1.    Describe Nowheresville. How is this would different from our world?

•    Nowheresville has two views; first, what is distinctive about rights is that they enable people to make claims. Second, rights are valuable because the ability to make claims is necessary for self-respect. The real world don’t know when will they the distinct difference between the right and claims of the people.

2.    Explain the doctrine of the logical correlativity of rights and duties. What is Feinberg’s position on this doctrine?

•    The doctrine of the logical correlativity of rights and duties assert that the person rights are linked with duties and other people. To have claim-rights you must have duties to perform. For Feinberg this means to him that all people can have the same right and duties according to their class.

3.    How does Feinberg explain the concept of personal desert? How would personal desert work in Nowheresville?

•    Feinberg explains that personal desert is kind of fittingness of one to other people or party. This will result to praising to you by other people. Personal desert works in Nowheresville by giving importance to what other people and giving rights and duties to them.

4.    Explain the notion of a sovereign right-monopoly? How would this work in Nowheresville according to Feinberg?

•    Notion of a sovereign right-monopoly is having our own personal rights and duties as person. Sovereign right-monopoly will work in Nowheresville by saying and thinking our own rights and duties to fulfil and by doing so we can have our own Nowheresville.

Discussion Question:

1.    Does Feinberg make a convincing case for the importance of rights? Why or why not?

•    Yes, he did make a convincing case of importance of rights especially individual rights. He made a convincing case because he gave me more ideas about giving importance to our rights and duties.

2.    Can you give a noncircular definition of claim-right?

•    Claim-right is giving and having the right that is due to the person if and only if he/she is in the position.

Integrative Questions:

1.    What is right?

2.    When do we know we did or duties?

3.    When will be that right considered as wrong?

4.    Is Nowheresville is still alive theses days?

5.    Where can we find Nowheresville today?