Books by Brian Leiter

Why Tolerate Religion?: Updated Edition

by Brian Leiter

Why it's wrong to single out religious liberty for special legal protections

This provocative book addresses one of the most enduring puzzles in political philosophy and constitutional theory―why is religion singled out for preferential treatment in both law and public discourse? Why are religious obligations that conflict with the law accorded special toleration while other obligations of conscience are not? In Why Tolerate Religion?, Brian Leiter shows why our reasons for tolerating religion are not specific to religion but apply to all claims of conscience, and why a government committed to liberty of conscience is not required by the principle of toleration to grant exemptions to laws that promote the general welfare.

The Oxford Handbook of Continental Philosophy

by Michael Rosen, Brian Leiter

The Oxford Handbooks series is a major new initiative in academic publishing. Each volume offers an authoritative and up-to-date survey of original research in a particular subject area. Specially commissioned essays from leading figures in the discipline give critical examinations of the progress and direction of debates. Oxford Handbooks provide scholars and graduate students with compelling new perspectives upon a wide range of subjects in the humanities and social sciences. The Oxford Handbook of Continental Philosophy is the definitive guide to the major themes of the continental European tradition in philosophy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Brian Leiter and Michael Rosen have assembled a stellar group of contributors who provide a thematic treatment of continental philosophy, treating its subject matter philosophically and not simply as a series of museum pieces from the history of ideas. The scope of the volume is broad, with discussions covering a wide range of philosophical movements including German Idealism, existentialism, phenomenology, Marxism, postmodernism, and critical theory, as well as thinkers like Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Heidegger, and Foucault. This Handbook will be an essential reference point for graduate students and professional academics working on continental philosophy, as well as those with an interest in European literature, the history of ideas, and cultural studies.

Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Law: Volume 1

by Brian Leiter, Leslie Green

Oxford Studies in the Philosophy of Law is an annual forum for some of the best new philosophical work on law, by both senior and junior scholars from around the world. The essays range widely over issues in general jurisprudence (the nature of law, adjudication, and legal reasoning), the philosophical foundations of specific areas of law (from criminal law to evidence to international law), the history of legal philosophy, and related philosophical topics that illuminate the problems of legal theory. OSPL will be essential reading for philosophers, academic lawyers, political scientists, and historians of law who wish to keep up with the latest developments in this flourishing field.

Nietzsche on Morality

by Brian Leiter

Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality is one of the most widely read books of philosophy, by philosophers and non-philosophers alike. Many of the ideas Nietzsche raises - such as 'the will to power', the 'slave revolt' in morality and perspectivism - are startling and disturbing and resonate in subjects as diverse as ethics, continental philosophy, literature and religion.

Brian Leiter's Nietzsche on Morality is an outstanding introduction to Nietzsche's famous work and is essential reading for any student of Nietzsche. Clearly and compellingly argued, it also caused controversy amongst Nietzsche scholars for its emphasis on naturalism as the key to understanding the Genealogy,and is regarded as one of the most significant works on Nietzsche of recent years.

In this second edition Brian Leiter revises and refreshes the book throughout. He has written a new preface; revised sections on key topics such as epiphenomenanlism and consciousness in light of important recent work on Nietzsche; and significantly expands his discussion of agency and free will in relation to Nietzsche's text. He also includes an important postscript on Nietzsche's naturalism in light of recent interpretations of Nietzsche.

Nietzsche and Morality

by Brian Leiter, Neil Sinhababu

Nietzsche was surprisingly neglected by most English-language moral philosophers until recently. This volume capitalizes on a growth of interest in Nietzsche's work on morality from two sides--from scholars of the history of philosophy and from contributors to current debates on ethical theory. In eleven new essays, leading philosophers aim both to advance philosophical understanding of Nietzsche's ethical views--his normative and meta-ethics, his moral psychology, his views on free will and the nature of the self--and to make Nietzsche a live participant in contemporary debates in ethics and cognate fields.