Abstract:
Human beings seek to transcend limits. This is part of our potential greatness, since it is how we can realize what is best in our humanity. However, the limit-transcending feature of human life is also part of our potential downfall, as it can lead to dehumanization and failure to attain important human goods and to prevent human evils. Exploring the place of limits within a well-lived human life this work develops and defends an original account of limiting virtues, which are concerned with recognizing proper limits in human life. The limiting virtues that are the focus are humility, reverence, moderation, contentment, neighborliness, and loyalty, and they are explored in relation to four kinds of limits: existential limits, moral limits, political limits, and economic limits. These virtues have been underexplored in discussions about virtue ethics, and when they have been explored it has not been with regard to the general issue of the place of limits within a well-lived human life. The account of the limiting virtues provided here, however, is intended as a counter to other prominent approaches to ethics: namely, autonomy-centered approaches and consequentialist (or maximizing) approaches. This account is also used to address a number of important contemporary issues such as genetic engineering, distributive justice, cosmopolitanism vs. patriotism, and the ethical status of growth-based economics.
Endorsements:
“David McPherson enables us to see the deep human need for limits, and how it runs through our life. This is a book of great importance in the face of contemporary understandings of ethics and the great challenges that human beings confront.”
-- Cora Diamond, Kenan Professor of Philosophy Emerita at the University of Virginia
“If philosophy is about how one should live one's life, McPherson’s The Virtues of Limits is exemplary. It shows how human flourishing, individual and collective, depends on accepting our limits, and on cultivating the virtues associated with this attitude, such as humility, reverence, neighbourliness, and loyalty. McPherson writes without jargon or undue technicality, while at the same time arguing with due academic rigour, and with a fair-minded engagement with those contemporary philosophers who follow in Nietzsche’s footsteps in wishing to remove limits from our striving, whether those limits be genetic, individual, political, or economic. This book is of great appeal in showing the life-affirming but often unremarked and under-stated appeal of a life lived within its proper limits.”
-- Anthony O'Hear, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buckingham and former Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy
“This fluent and ambitious study articulates an integrated vision of the good life that ranges over both the individual and the socio-political dimensions of morality. Its unifying idea, that of ‘limiting virtues’, yields a species of virtue theory that is genuinely original both as regards the specific virtues that are highlighted, and as regards the rationale for their selection and their role in securing human flourishing.”
-- John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Reading and Honorary Fellow of St John's College, Oxford University
“In The Virtues of Limits, David McPherson offers us an historically rich and philosophically robust defence of the idea that humans flourish only when and insofar as they recognise and abide by certain well-founded constraints. What is particularly valuable about his treatment is that it demonstrates how the importance of such constraints is evidenced across different domains: existential, moral, political and economic. The cogency of this demonstration is matched only by its timeliness, given that our time is one that finds constraints as such increasingly hard to rationalise.”
-- Tom Angier, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Cape Town
“McPherson’s book calls us to recognize the importance of an objective view of the good, one that deserves our recognition and respect and that imposes limits on the ways in which we navigate the world. As such, it is a contribution to an important strand of ethical thought.”
-- Todd May, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
“Perhaps McPherson’s simplest yet most profound message is that limits, although often expressed in negative terms (“thou shalt not”), are not just negations. On the contrary, they exist to protect things that are positively, intrinsically good. … By teaching this lesson, The Virtues of Limits also serves as a warning. If limits are not just negations, then the lack of limits is not, contrary to what many seem to think, necessarily a form of liberation. On the contrary, a lack of limits can in fact limit us—limit our moral capacities and therefore stunt the development of our very being. The rejection of limits inevitably implies that there is nothing in our world intrinsically worth valuing. On such a view, the world in which we find ourselves is not a nature containing various goods to which we are obliged to relate correctly but an abyss or a chaos in which the human will can operate utterly unchecked. This understanding of things has not and never will end well for those who embrace it. We must hope that those inclined in this direction will read McPherson’s book and reconsider their views.”
-- Carson Holloway, Law & Liberty
“An original contribution to the field of virtue ethics, [McPherson’s] book offers a compelling image of a humane society in which people embrace limits (existential, moral, political, economic), are rooted in their communities, and are not adrift in life without anchor. ... The Virtues of Limits is a powerful rebuttal of the modern drive to mastery and self-creation that often leads to nihilism and self-destruction. McPherson argues that limits have a salutary place in a well-lived life and are essential to living in a decent society that protects the dignity of human beings. ... The Virtues of Limits reminds us that we must always strive to create a decent society à la taille de l’homme ... Although many of the principles on which our social and political life relies are hostile to boundaries, limits define who we are and what we may do. We should not try to imitate Nietzsche’s Promethean revolt against limits, but we must learn to be ‘moderately modern’ and embrace our limits wisely. Liberals and conservatives alike should pay heed to this important lesson of McPherson’s book.”
-- Aurelian Craiutu, Society
“The task of morality ... is to place limits on our desires and our wills such that they accord with the given structures of the world and human nature. ... [Just as] our life projects and our work must begin by properly appreciating the world and life that are given to us, they must also end with appreciation. The goal of our moral, political and economic efforts is in fact a kind of celebration of life lived fully and well. This, and not Nietzsche’s understanding, is the real ‘yes-saying’ to the world; it is the path, as McPherson says, to ‘being at home in the world.’ ... The book stands as a rebuke to aspects of both the left and right of our political and cultural divides. More important, it offers an attractive alternative in the form of embracing the world as a gift with humility. Doing so, we can hope, might give us a greater respect for persons, the environment and human nature. ... The Virtues of Limits is written in a way that is accessible to the non-philosopher and will be of interest to many. It will provide much food for reflection ... for any reader engaged in the grander questions of our moral, economic and political life.”
-- Nathan Beacom, America Magazine
“In The Virtues of Limits, McPherson articulates a picture of the human person with a depth, complexity, and sensitivity rare in the virtue theory literature. ... There are many things to love about this book. First, The Virtues of Limits offers perspective and chastisement to an acquisitive, consumer-driven, and never satisfied culture. Second, McPherson does an outstanding job describing the attentional architecture surrounding particular virtues . ... [Conceiving] of these virtues [viz., humility, reverence, moderation, contentment, loyalty, and neighborliness] – and human life more broadly – in terms of limits, is a profitable way of seeing virtue anew. This is a valuable text for virtue theorists, but also for bioethicists, athletes, economists, citizens, and anyone else trying to navigate the oddity of being human, which involves striving, growing, and seeking to improve, while also making peace with imperfections and limitations. I highly recommend this book.”
-- Sabrina Little, Journal of Moral Philosophy
Human beings seek to transcend limits. This is part of our potential greatness, since it is how we can realize what is best in our humanity. However, the limit-transcending feature of human life is also part of our potential downfall, as it can lead to dehumanization and failure to attain important human goods and to prevent human evils. Exploring the place of limits within a well-lived human life this work develops and defends an original account of limiting virtues, which are concerned with recognizing proper limits in human life. The limiting virtues that are the focus are humility, reverence, moderation, contentment, neighborliness, and loyalty, and they are explored in relation to four kinds of limits: existential limits, moral limits, political limits, and economic limits. These virtues have been underexplored in discussions about virtue ethics, and when they have been explored it has not been with regard to the general issue of the place of limits within a well-lived human life. The account of the limiting virtues provided here, however, is intended as a counter to other prominent approaches to ethics: namely, autonomy-centered approaches and consequentialist (or maximizing) approaches. This account is also used to address a number of important contemporary issues such as genetic engineering, distributive justice, cosmopolitanism vs. patriotism, and the ethical status of growth-based economics.
Endorsements:
“David McPherson enables us to see the deep human need for limits, and how it runs through our life. This is a book of great importance in the face of contemporary understandings of ethics and the great challenges that human beings confront.”
-- Cora Diamond, Kenan Professor of Philosophy Emerita at the University of Virginia
“If philosophy is about how one should live one's life, McPherson’s The Virtues of Limits is exemplary. It shows how human flourishing, individual and collective, depends on accepting our limits, and on cultivating the virtues associated with this attitude, such as humility, reverence, neighbourliness, and loyalty. McPherson writes without jargon or undue technicality, while at the same time arguing with due academic rigour, and with a fair-minded engagement with those contemporary philosophers who follow in Nietzsche’s footsteps in wishing to remove limits from our striving, whether those limits be genetic, individual, political, or economic. This book is of great appeal in showing the life-affirming but often unremarked and under-stated appeal of a life lived within its proper limits.”
-- Anthony O'Hear, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buckingham and former Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy
“This fluent and ambitious study articulates an integrated vision of the good life that ranges over both the individual and the socio-political dimensions of morality. Its unifying idea, that of ‘limiting virtues’, yields a species of virtue theory that is genuinely original both as regards the specific virtues that are highlighted, and as regards the rationale for their selection and their role in securing human flourishing.”
-- John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Reading and Honorary Fellow of St John's College, Oxford University
“In The Virtues of Limits, David McPherson offers us an historically rich and philosophically robust defence of the idea that humans flourish only when and insofar as they recognise and abide by certain well-founded constraints. What is particularly valuable about his treatment is that it demonstrates how the importance of such constraints is evidenced across different domains: existential, moral, political and economic. The cogency of this demonstration is matched only by its timeliness, given that our time is one that finds constraints as such increasingly hard to rationalise.”
-- Tom Angier, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Cape Town
“McPherson’s book calls us to recognize the importance of an objective view of the good, one that deserves our recognition and respect and that imposes limits on the ways in which we navigate the world. As such, it is a contribution to an important strand of ethical thought.”
-- Todd May, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
“Perhaps McPherson’s simplest yet most profound message is that limits, although often expressed in negative terms (“thou shalt not”), are not just negations. On the contrary, they exist to protect things that are positively, intrinsically good. … By teaching this lesson, The Virtues of Limits also serves as a warning. If limits are not just negations, then the lack of limits is not, contrary to what many seem to think, necessarily a form of liberation. On the contrary, a lack of limits can in fact limit us—limit our moral capacities and therefore stunt the development of our very being. The rejection of limits inevitably implies that there is nothing in our world intrinsically worth valuing. On such a view, the world in which we find ourselves is not a nature containing various goods to which we are obliged to relate correctly but an abyss or a chaos in which the human will can operate utterly unchecked. This understanding of things has not and never will end well for those who embrace it. We must hope that those inclined in this direction will read McPherson’s book and reconsider their views.”
-- Carson Holloway, Law & Liberty
“An original contribution to the field of virtue ethics, [McPherson’s] book offers a compelling image of a humane society in which people embrace limits (existential, moral, political, economic), are rooted in their communities, and are not adrift in life without anchor. ... The Virtues of Limits is a powerful rebuttal of the modern drive to mastery and self-creation that often leads to nihilism and self-destruction. McPherson argues that limits have a salutary place in a well-lived life and are essential to living in a decent society that protects the dignity of human beings. ... The Virtues of Limits reminds us that we must always strive to create a decent society à la taille de l’homme ... Although many of the principles on which our social and political life relies are hostile to boundaries, limits define who we are and what we may do. We should not try to imitate Nietzsche’s Promethean revolt against limits, but we must learn to be ‘moderately modern’ and embrace our limits wisely. Liberals and conservatives alike should pay heed to this important lesson of McPherson’s book.”
-- Aurelian Craiutu, Society
“The task of morality ... is to place limits on our desires and our wills such that they accord with the given structures of the world and human nature. ... [Just as] our life projects and our work must begin by properly appreciating the world and life that are given to us, they must also end with appreciation. The goal of our moral, political and economic efforts is in fact a kind of celebration of life lived fully and well. This, and not Nietzsche’s understanding, is the real ‘yes-saying’ to the world; it is the path, as McPherson says, to ‘being at home in the world.’ ... The book stands as a rebuke to aspects of both the left and right of our political and cultural divides. More important, it offers an attractive alternative in the form of embracing the world as a gift with humility. Doing so, we can hope, might give us a greater respect for persons, the environment and human nature. ... The Virtues of Limits is written in a way that is accessible to the non-philosopher and will be of interest to many. It will provide much food for reflection ... for any reader engaged in the grander questions of our moral, economic and political life.”
-- Nathan Beacom, America Magazine
“In The Virtues of Limits, McPherson articulates a picture of the human person with a depth, complexity, and sensitivity rare in the virtue theory literature. ... There are many things to love about this book. First, The Virtues of Limits offers perspective and chastisement to an acquisitive, consumer-driven, and never satisfied culture. Second, McPherson does an outstanding job describing the attentional architecture surrounding particular virtues . ... [Conceiving] of these virtues [viz., humility, reverence, moderation, contentment, loyalty, and neighborliness] – and human life more broadly – in terms of limits, is a profitable way of seeing virtue anew. This is a valuable text for virtue theorists, but also for bioethicists, athletes, economists, citizens, and anyone else trying to navigate the oddity of being human, which involves striving, growing, and seeking to improve, while also making peace with imperfections and limitations. I highly recommend this book.”
-- Sabrina Little, Journal of Moral Philosophy
