Review Of "The Geometry Of Desert" By S. Kagan

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

4-1-2013

Published In

Choice

Abstract

Every few years a book appears that every philosopher, at least every philosopher in a particular field, must read. This volume by Kagan (Yale) is such a book. It will be the subject of many graduate seminars and dissertations in the coming years. Kagan concentrates on one kind of desert--moral desert. Because this subject has not received the attention of, say, duty, justice, or rights, much of Kagan's careful and thoughtful analysis is exploratory and tentative, opening up new lines of inquiry and suggesting puzzles, problems, and apparent inconsistencies on which to reflect. Kagan avoids discussing "familiar questions" of desert: for that he recommends George Sher's Desert (CH, Feb'88). Desert, Kagan contends, has hidden complexities that are best revealed using graphs (hence the "geometry" in Kagan's title). He is not unique in doing so, but the graphs do take some getting used to. Kagan's work is closely associated with that of Larry Temkin (Inequality, CH, Dec'93, 31-2060), both in style and method. This book has earned its just deserts, even if not moral deserts. Every graduate library should have this book, along with libraries where undergraduates work at a high level. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-level undergraduates and above.

Comments

This work is freely available courtesy of Choice Reviews. The review has been reproduced in full in the abstract field.

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