Scholars@Duke
Walter Sinnott-Armstrong

Walter Sinnott-Armstrong

Chauncey Stillman Distinguished Professor of Practical Ethics
Philosophy
Duke Box 90743, Durham, NC 27708-0743
Duke University Box 90432, 203B West Duke Bldg, Durham, NC 27708

Scholarly Works - Books

Morality Without God?

Book · January 1, 2023 Some argue that atheism must be false, since without God, no values are possible, and thus "everything is permitted." Walter Sinnott-Armstrong argues that God is not only not essential to morality, but that our moral behavior should be utterly independent ... Cite

Moral psychology, volume 4: Free will and moral responsibility

Book · January 1, 2014 Traditional philosophers approached the issues of free will and moral responsibility through conceptual analysis that seldom incorporated findings from empirical science. In recent decades, however, striking developments in psychology and neuroscience have ... Cite

Introduction

Book · January 1, 2014 Full text Cite

Memory and Law

Book · January 24, 2013 The legal system depends upon memory function in a number of critical ways, including the memories of victims; the memories of individuals who witness crimes or other critical events; the memories of investigators, lawyers and judges engaged in the legal p ... Full text Cite

Preface

Book · January 24, 2013 Cite

Mental Illness and Ethical Responsibility

Book · 2012 Mental illnesses devastate individuals and families. They also raise profound and important theoretical and practical issues for us all. How can we tell whether someone really is mentally ill instead of just eccentric? When people with mental illnesses cau ... Cite

Conscious Will and Responsibility: A Tribute to Benjamin Libet

Book · 2010 We all seem to think that we do the acts we do because we consciously choose to do them. This commonsense view is thrown into dispute by Benjamin Libet's eyebrow-raising experiments, which seem to suggest that conscious will occurs not before but after the ... Full text Cite

Morality

Book · 2009 Cite

Moral Skepticisms

Book · February 1, 2006 Moral Skepticisms provides a detailed overview of moral epistemology, addressing such profound questions as: Are any moral beliefs true? Are any justified? Is moral knowledge possible? These questions lead to fundamental issues about the nature of morality ... Full text Cite

Perspectives on Climate Change Science, Economics, Politics, Ethics

Book · 2005 This book explores the interplay between science, economics, politics, and ethics in understanding the challenge that climate change poses to the international community. ... Cite

God? A Debate Between a Christian and an Atheist

Book · 2004 The book is composed of six chapters that alternate between Craig and Sinnott-Armstrong, so that each separate point can be discussed as it arises. ... Cite

The Philosophy of Law Classic and Contemporary Readings with Commentary

Book · 1996 PHILOSOPHY OF LAW examines such topics as the concept of law, the dispute between natural law theorists and legal positivists, the relations between law and morality, criminal responsibility and legal punishment, rights of the individual ... ... Cite

Modality, Morality and Belief Essays in Honor of Ruth Barcan Marcus

Book · 1995 This collection of original essays honours one of the most influential philosophical pioneers of the twentieth century, Ruth Barcan Marcus. ... Cite

Contemporary Perspectives on Constitutional Interpretation

Book · 1993 Brings together ten of the nation's finest and most provocative legal scholars to present their views on constitutional interpretation. All of these papers are very recent, and four were written especially for this volume. ... Cite

Moral Dilemmas

Book · 1988 Cite