L.W. Sumner is University Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He is the author of four books: Abortion and Moral Theory (1981); The Moral Foundation of Rights (1987); Welfare, Ethics, and Happiness (1996); and The Hateful and the Obscene: Studies in the Limits of Free Expression (2004). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and recipient of the 2009 Molson Prize in Social Sciences and Humanities from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Lucid and powerful... Sumner's book provides a superb example of the relevance of philosophy to public policy. * Thomas Nagel, London Review of Books * the target audience extends beyond professional philosophers, and the aim is not merely to understand the situation but to change it. This is altogether laudable, and some pulling of punches might help. And what might well be hoped for this very good book careful, modest, wellstructured throughout is that its importance is not long-lasting and that it helps bring about its own demise. * Christopher Belshaw, The Philosophical Quarterly *