Sacrifice and Value

Sidney Axinn is emeritus professor of philosophy at Temple University and courtesy professor of philosophy at the University of South Florida. He is author of The Logic of Hope: Extensions of Kant's View of Religion and A Moral Military and co-editor of Autonomy and Community: Readings in Contemporary Kantian Social Philosophy.

• Chapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. Sacrifice and the Creation of Intrinsic ValueChapter 3. Care and SacrificeChapter 4. LoveChapter 5. Religion and SacrificeChapter 6. PatriotismChapter 7. Business and Other LoyaltiesChapter 8. FriendshipChapter 9. GiftsChapter 10. Pluralism vs. Fanaticism: The Need for More than One Inherent ValueChapter 11. Kant's Use of SacrificeChapter 12. Relations to Certain Significant Theories and IssuesChapter 13. Conclusions

Professor Axinn’s thoughtful discussion of the meaning and importance of sacrifice offers the provocative claim that our willingness to sacrifice produces what has absolute value for us. His wide reading and non-pedantic, conversational style make his ideas about love, loyalty, military ethics and his allusions to a range of philosophers from Protagoras and Kant to contemporary ethicists accessible to any serious reader.