Review by Choice Review
This groundbreaking work is the first systematic study of the pragmatic rules governing deontic speech. Deontic speech contains terms such as "ought" and "may" whereas pragmatics is that part of the theory of signs that studies the relation between linguistic expressions and their users. Forrester explains why he thinks deontic pragmatics deserves to be studied, formulating and discussing 18 maxims of deontic pragmatics. One "single supermaxim of Deontic Rationality" condenses these maxims: "Impose, accept, and impute obligations only in accordance with a rationally defensible structure." In the final section of the book, Forrester applies his theory in an analysis of the Bakke decision and uses the theory to attack moral relativism. Forrester's writing style is clear, witty, and free of jargon. Why You Should is filled with interesting examples from law, literature, religion, and everyday life. The arguments are generally convincing. The book lacks a bibliography and is marred by shoddy proofreading. This pioneering work should be available to advanced students of philosophy, linguistics, and law. -H. Pospesel, University of Miami
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
