Publications [#333207] of Allen E. Buchanan

Duke :: Philosophy :: Faculty :: Allen E. Buchanan

Journal Articles

  1. Buchanan, A; Powell, R, De-moralization as emancipation: Liberty, progress, and the evolution of invalid moral norms, Social Philosophy and Policy, vol. 34 no. 2 (January, 2017), pp. 108-135, Cambridge University Press (CUP).
    (last updated on 2024/01/01)

    Abstract:
    Liberal thinkers of the Enlightenment understood that surplus moral constraints, imposed by invalid moral norms, are a serious limitation on liberty. They also recognized that overcoming surplus moral constraints - what we call proper demoralization - is an important dimension of moral progress. Contemporary philosophical theorists of liberty have largely neglected the threat that surplus moral constraints pose to liberty and the importance of proper de-moralization for human emancipation. This essay examines the phenomena of surplus moral constraints and proper de-moralization, utilizing insights from biological and cultural evolutionary thinking.