Examined Life

John Kekes is Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the State University of New York, Albany. His most recent books are Moral Tradition and Individuality (1989) and Facing Evil (1990).

“A well-thought-out project, engaging, enlightening, and highly accessible for the audience it addresses. . . . After twenty years of philosophical reflection on the context for a virtue-based ethics, we now have a book which both offers us some content and reminds us along the way how important the virtues are for right living.”—International Philosophical Quarterly

• ContentPreface 9Acknowledgments 111. An Approach to Good Lives 152. The Limits of Self-Direction: Human Nature 313. The Context of Self-Direction: Moral Tradition 454. Self-Direction 625. Ideals and Commitments 776. Self-Control 957. Self-Knowledge 1148. Moral Sensitivity 1299. Wisdom 14510. Good Lives and Happiness 16111. Good Lives and Justification 174Notes 188Works Cited 194Index 199