Mon, 10 Oct 1994 18:35:23 -0700 for <socgrad@ucsd.edu>
Date: Mon, 10 Oct 1994 21:27:27 -0400 (EDT)
From: "John B. Thomas" <jbthomas@mailbox.syr.edu>
Subject: moral philosophy and sociology (fwd)
To: socgrad <socgrad@UCSD.EDU>

	I would like to know what individuals on this listserv understand the 
relationship between 
moral philosophy and sociology to be.  It has been suggested by at least 
one author (that I know of) that the study of human action is essentially 
the study of VALUES (the presumption is that human beings engage in a 
given action because it has more or higher value than other actions they 
might have engaged in at a specific point in time).  The stereotypical 
response to this assertion is that value-based action requires a rational 
agent (and thus irrational actions would not fit neatly into this 
construct), but I am not convinced that this is true.  It seems to me to 
be justifiable to say that a tree VALUES water and sunlight, though as 
far as I know, trees are not considered rational 
agents.  Anyway, I don't want to load this question with my point of view 
anymore, so let me know what you think.  JBT