Papers by Rudolf Schuessler
Moral Philosophy and Politics, 2018
What impact should sufficientarianism have on the measurement of inequality? Like other theories ... more What impact should sufficientarianism have on the measurement of inequality? Like other theories of justice, sufficientarianism influences how economic inequality is conceived. For the purpose of measurement, its standards of justice can be approximated by income-based thresholds of sufficiency. At which income level could a threshold of having enough be pegged in OECD countries? What would it imply for standard indicators of inequality, such as decile comparisons of cumulated income, income spreads, or the Gini coefficient? This paper suggests some answers to these questions, showing that sufficientarian ideas could make a difference with respect to the measurement of inequality in a society.
Focal Points in Negotiation, 2019
This chapter discusses the negotiations that led to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CT... more This chapter discusses the negotiations that led to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The treaty includes provisions on potential testsite inspections. The authors show that focality and salience played a role at multiple levels in the negotiations concerning inspections. Many of the positions initially put forth by parties to the negotiations were salient. Moreover, as negotiations progressed, two of these acquired particular prominence: a simple majority (50%) and two-thirds majority. In the end, the number agreed upon was the middle between these two solutions, a principle that in itself can be seen as a focal point solution that respects the moral plausibility of the outcome.
Journal of the History of Philosophy, 2023
Cardinal Sforza Pallavicino, SJ (1607-67), conceived a procedure for determining natural moral la... more Cardinal Sforza Pallavicino, SJ (1607-67), conceived a procedure for determining natural moral laws by voting under a veil of ignorance. Behind this veil, imagined possible people who are ignorant of their social position, personal characteristics, nation, and the historical period in which they live vote as equals. These possible people are asked to establish a moral law in pursuit of their own and collective happiness, which they are obligated by God to follow. This article discusses Pallavicino's innovative approach to natural law and examines its reception in Southern Germany and (what is now) Austria.
Rivista di Filosofia, 2023
Condorcet acknowledged that his Jury Theorem (CJT) builds on
earlier conceptions of e... more Condorcet acknowledged that his Jury Theorem (CJT) builds on
earlier conceptions of epistemic majoritarianism. The article will
trace the history of these conceptions in the scholastic tradition
and focus on opposition to epistemic majoritarianism in the sev-
enteenth-century debate on the use of probable opinions. Many of
the respective arguments indicate that the CJT cannot be applied
under conditions of reasonable disagreement in which groups of
experts differ about the truth of propositions because they accept
different background theories, approaches, or world views. Such
conditions often exist for judgments about political, economic, so-
cial, or ethical issues. The last section of the paper shows that the
scholastic objections can be reformulated in a mathematical frame-
work and thus be connected to the ongoing modern discussion on
the CJT.
Zeitschrift für Ethik und Moralphilosophie, 2020
This paper claims that deontological and consequentialist ethics are best distinguished with refe... more This paper claims that deontological and consequentialist ethics are best distinguished with reference to different assumptions concerning moral accountability and accounting. Deontological ethics can thereby be defended against the accusation of inordinate concern with the moral purity of agents. Moreover, deontological ethics can and should reject being based on the concept of agent-relative value. Even under the assumption that deontological ethics can be consequentialized, agent-relative value need not play a fundamental role. This is not the same as denying agent-relativity a key role in deontological ethics. Deontological moral accounting of universal value should be regarded as agent-relative, whereas consequentialist accounting assumes a shared moral account of all moral agents.
Climate Justice and Historical Emissions
Emissions grandfathering aportions emission rights according to historically established emission... more Emissions grandfathering aportions emission rights according to historically established emission levels. Moral philosophers have generally been sceptical concerning the legitimacy of this practice. Only very recently have Bovens (2011) and Knight (2013, 2014) produced the first sustained philosophical defenses of grandfathering. The paper will show that Bovens’ Lockean justification of emissions grandfathering fails. However, Bovens’ idea of temporary (and hence fading) grandfathering will be taken up and developed in new directions on the basis of luck-related justice. In contrast to Knight’s (2014) luck egalitarian approach, I will suggest temporary remedies only against brute bad luck that comes in the form of external shocks. Luck egalitarianism awards individuals compensation if their tastes become unsatisfiable or expensive because of brute bad luck. It is brute bad luck to find oneself without one’s fault, as the citizens of industrialized countries did in 1990 with respect to climate change, in conditions that require a massive lifestyle change. However, this paper will argue that not compensation but time for adaptation to a new situation should in principle be granted to relatively affluent people who are seriously affected by undeserved and unanticipated shocks. This legimitates successive proportional emission cuts in industrialized countries relative to a reference year such as 1990.
Philosophical Inquiries, 2022
Probabilism was (and is) a Catholic doctrine that guides conscience and regulates the use of opin... more Probabilism was (and is) a Catholic doctrine that guides conscience and regulates the use of opinions. Epicureanism is an ancient school of philosophy whose revival in the early modern era significantly contributed to the rise of modern science and philosophy. What might the two have in common? Answering this question requires some intellectual effort to weave probabilism and neo-Epicureanism together in a narrative. At closer inspection, some contact points, nevertheless, become discernible. The moral theology of probabilism was 'pleasure-friendly', an attitude that was sharply criticized by austere opponents. 1 Moreover, the patterns of growth and resistance to both currents of thought seem to be in sync, especially when we focus on Italy. This synchronicity is hardly fortuitous. Reactions to probabilism and Epicureanism in the seventeenth century seem to have been influenced by common underlying developments, which should be identified to gain a more accurate understanding, especially of the trajectory of neo-Epicureanism. Periods of flourishing and decline or of smooth expansion and strong adversity, are commonly recognized in the literature on probabilism, but are rarely addressed in the historiography of neo-Epicureanism. Negative reactions by Catholic authorities in one century are often used to claim negative Catholic attitudes toward Epicurean thought in another century. 2 Such practices contribute to the accepted view that the Catholic Church abhorred Epicurean thought. Notable intellectual historians have corrected this 'black legend' and shown that Epicurean ideas received moderate
Making Truth in Early Modern Catholicism, 2021
The scholastic controversy on probable opinions in the seventeenth century was one of the most ex... more The scholastic controversy on probable opinions in the seventeenth century was one of the most extensive and acrimonious debates of the early modern era. Historiography has treated it as a quarrel over moral casuistry, but this underestimates its import. The scholastic preoccupation with the 'use of opinions' should be understood as a search for a general framework for dealing with reasonable disagreement between competent evaluators of truth claims (not only moral ones). In the early modern era, scholastic analyses as well as regulations concerning the prudent and legitimate use of opinions acquired an unprecedented scope and depth. For the first time in European intellectual history, detailed theories of reasonable disagreement emerged, based on explicit characterizations of competing probable opinions as reasonably tenable.
A Companion to the Spanish Scholastics, 2022
In the Christian tradition, casuistry is a branch of moral theology which deals with cases of con... more In the Christian tradition, casuistry is a branch of moral theology which deals with cases of conscience, that is, moral problems which trouble the consciences of agents. Probabilism is a particular doctrine of moral decision making in cases of conscience, claiming that agents are prima facie entitled to follow opinions that have weighty reasons on their side even if more probable counter-opinions exist. In the view of the present author, probabilism permitted agents to act according to any reasonably tenable opinion, not only the one the agent considered most probably true. Moral casuistry received its strongest support from the Council of Trent and its urge for increased pastoral care. As a result, casuistry reached an unprecedented scale and systematicity in early modern Catholicism. Probabilism and casuistry became highly controversial in the seventeenth century. No history of probabilism and casuistry is complete without taking these controversies into account. Christian rigorists and early modern philosophers concurred in their attacks on the allegedly too loose morality of probabilist casuists. The eighteenth century saw the rollback of casuistry on a large scale and the end of the creative development of scholastic probabilism.
Early Science and Medicine, 2022
Analytische Explikationen und Interventionen, 2021
The debate on the justifiability of extremely high incomes (e.g. over one million dollars or euro... more The debate on the justifiability of extremely high incomes (e.g. over one million dollars or euros p.a., or more than 20 times the median income in a society) has intensified in recent years.1 Instigated by social movements critical of the wealth of the richest ›one percent‹ in Western industrialized societies, the incomes of top earners have come under scrutiny. We will focus on a specific question in this respect: Are extremely high incomes per se unjust? This question is far from trivial, not least when simple and radical forms of egalitarianism are being repudiated. In fact, I will argue that from the perspective of distributive justice alone, extreme incomes are not unjust. Criticism of extremely high incomes, if deemed necessary, must be based on aspects other than distributive justice.
Philosophisches Jahrbuch, 2013
Kant distinguishes sharply between a juridical and an ethical assessment of lies. For the latter,... more Kant distinguishes sharply between a juridical and an ethical assessment of lies. For the latter, his Doctrine of Virtue establishes the immorality of maxims of lying. However, not all acts of lying have to result from maxims of lying. It will be shown that Kant's conception of moral weakness extends to lies caused by fear. A morally weak person need not have an immoral character or lose her dignity. Therefore, the inhuman implications of Kant's strict prohibition of lying can be considerably mitigated if the possibility of fear-induced lies is taken into account. If a person follows the modern planner's motto failure is not an option and excludes lies from her plans of action, she can satisfy the demands of Kant's doctrine of virtue even if fear causes her to lie under some circumstances.
Journal of Philosophy of Education, 2021
Interest in the role of casuistry and casuistical questions in Kant's Doctrine of Virtue (DV), i.... more Interest in the role of casuistry and casuistical questions in Kant's Doctrine of Virtue (DV), i.e. the second part of the Metaphysics of Morals, has grown in recent years. My own position is formulated in Schuessler (2012, in German), the main thesis of which will be retained here in an updated form and with some shifts of emphasis. I hold that the casuistical questions concerning perfect duties in the DV are not intended to represent casuistry in Kant's sense. Casuistry and casuistical questions are neither equivalent in the DV nor do they serve the same purposes. K E Y W O R D S casuistry, doctrine of virtue, education, Kant Interest in the role of casuistry and casuistical questions in Kant's Doctrine of Virtue (DV), i.e. the second part of the Metaphysics of Morals, has grown in recent years. My own position is formulated in Schuessler (2012, in German), the main thesis of which will be retained here in an updated form and with some shifts of emphasis. I hold that the casuistical questions concerning perfect duties in the DV are not intended to represent casuistry in Kant's sense. Casuistry
Focal Points in Negotiation
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research at DIW Berlin This series presents research f... more SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research at DIW Berlin This series presents research findings based either directly on data from the German SocioEconomic Panel study (SOEP) or using SOEP data as part of an internationally comparable data set (e.g. CNEF, ECHP, LIS, LWS, CHER/PACO). SOEP is a truly multidisciplinary household panel study covering a wide range of social and behavioral sciences:
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
Energy poverty, long considered a problem limited to developing countries only, is now widely ack... more Energy poverty, long considered a problem limited to developing countries only, is now widely acknowledged as a challenge for advanced OECD countries as well. How energy poverty is perceived depends on the conceptualization and assessment of the underlying phenomena: inappropriately high costs for the provision of adequate energy services and/or a resulting push into poverty. In Europe, the UK has spearheaded the definition and measurement of such phenomena. The most common way to measure energy poverty is to set a 10 percent threshold of energy-related expenditure relative to net income. At the time this indicator was being developed, it equaled double the median share of energy expenditure relative to the income of all residents. This paper discusses approaches to measuring energy poverty and argues that the double median share threshold endorsed by British researchers is ill-suited for determining energy poverty. A fixed percentage threshold may be more suitable, provided it is empirically confirmed, adequately modified, and regularly updated.
Wirtschaftsdienst, 2014
Ist die Energiewende sozial gerecht? Die Energiewende umfasst neben dem Ausstieg aus der Atomener... more Ist die Energiewende sozial gerecht? Die Energiewende umfasst neben dem Ausstieg aus der Atomenergie unter anderem auch den Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien, die Steigerung der Energieeffi zienz und die Senkung des Treibhausgasausstoßes. Dabei wird viel Geld bewegt und es stellt sich immer dringender die Frage nach der sozialen Gerechtigkeit, wenn bereits heute mehr als 17% der privaten Haushalte durch Energiekosten stark belastet sind. Energiearmut wird damit in Deutschland zu einem neuen sozialpolitischen Phänomen.
Philosophia, 2011
... by Rudolf Schüssler Perez Zagorin died in 2009 and Hobbes and the Law of Nature, his last mon... more ... by Rudolf Schüssler Perez Zagorin died in 2009 and Hobbes and the Law of Nature, his last mono-graph, is a kind of legacy. ... The sovereign fully takes centre stage in Chapter 3. Here, Zagorin crosses swords with Quentin Skinner on the subject of republican liberty. ...
Journal of Conflict Resolution, 1989
... a model that abandons the super-game framework and all effects of reputation, recognition, an... more ... a model that abandons the super-game framework and all effects of reputation, recognition, and retaliatory ... Supergames probably play a rather minor role in real-life cooperation structures. ... D, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, CONCO was motivated by the intention to analyze a ...
Criminal Law and Philosophy, 2013
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Papers by Rudolf Schuessler
earlier conceptions of epistemic majoritarianism. The article will
trace the history of these conceptions in the scholastic tradition
and focus on opposition to epistemic majoritarianism in the sev-
enteenth-century debate on the use of probable opinions. Many of
the respective arguments indicate that the CJT cannot be applied
under conditions of reasonable disagreement in which groups of
experts differ about the truth of propositions because they accept
different background theories, approaches, or world views. Such
conditions often exist for judgments about political, economic, so-
cial, or ethical issues. The last section of the paper shows that the
scholastic objections can be reformulated in a mathematical frame-
work and thus be connected to the ongoing modern discussion on
the CJT.
earlier conceptions of epistemic majoritarianism. The article will
trace the history of these conceptions in the scholastic tradition
and focus on opposition to epistemic majoritarianism in the sev-
enteenth-century debate on the use of probable opinions. Many of
the respective arguments indicate that the CJT cannot be applied
under conditions of reasonable disagreement in which groups of
experts differ about the truth of propositions because they accept
different background theories, approaches, or world views. Such
conditions often exist for judgments about political, economic, so-
cial, or ethical issues. The last section of the paper shows that the
scholastic objections can be reformulated in a mathematical frame-
work and thus be connected to the ongoing modern discussion on
the CJT.