Right and Wrong

Some acts are wrong, even if they have good results, and some are right even if the world would have been a better place without them. Here is a cogent and lucid argument for a system of morality that makes place for that which is right or wrong in itself and not just according to consequences. Charles Fried develops in this book a conception of right and wrong that supports judgments on subjects as various as tax structure, self-defense, kidney transplants, tort liability, and freedom of speech. Fried begins by examining the demands of morality in two quite different cases: harming the innocent (where ordinary moral consciousness suggests absolutes) and lying (where consequences seem pertinent). Upon this foundation he elaborates a theory of rights that accounts for the obligation to contribute to the welfare of others but accounts also for the limits of that obligation. Comparisons and contrasts are drawn to economic theories of rights, and to the writings of Dworkin, Nozick, and Rawls. Finally, Fried considers how choices made within personal and professional roles—by friends and kin, by doctors and lawyers—are susceptible of moral judgment. Right and Wrong will have an impact on ethical, legal, and social theory, and will profit anyone thinking about the requirements of a moral life. Review text: Charles Fried of the Harvard Law School has made an important contribution to the literature of ethics . 'On all great subjects much remains to be said, ' wrote John Stuart Mill. Professor Fried has said it with great elegance. Fried's approach is indeed an important corrective to utilitarian calculations that are often all too ready to sacrifice individuals ... on the altar of the greatest good ... [This is] a well-written and provocative volume, containing discussions of many important issues. The most outstanding feature of this book is the lucid account it presents of the workings of ordinary morality with regard to what the individual and the state may, may not, and must do Elements -- Harm -- On Lying -- Rights : The Economic Analysis -- Positive Rights -- Negative Rights -- Rights And Roles. Charles Fried. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Biographical note: FriedCharles: Charles Fried is Beneficial Professor of Law, Harvard University