The Morality of a Slaveholder / [electronic resource] Helo, Ari creator author. text enk 2013 monographic eng

electronic

1 online resource (298 pages) : digital, PDF file(s). Could Jefferson claim any consistency in his advocacy of democracy and the rights of man while remaining one of the largest slaveholders in Virginia? This extensive study of Jefferson's intellectual outlook suggests that, once we fully acknowledge the premises of his ethical thought and his now outdated scientific views, he could. Jefferson famously thought the human mind to be 'susceptible of much improvement … most of all, in matters of government and religion'. Ari Helo's thorough analysis of Jefferson's understanding of Christian morality, atheism, contemporary theories of moral sentiments, ancient virtue ethics, natural rights, and the principles of justice and benevolence suggests that Jefferson refused to be a philosopher, and did so for moral reasons. This book finds Jefferson profoundly political in his understanding of individual moral responsibility and human progress. Ari Helo. Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 09 Oct 2015). E332.2 .H46 2014 973.4/6092 9781139629348 (ebook) http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139629348 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139629348 UkCbUP 121203 20180107143410.0 CR9781139629348