In 1989, Kagan's first book "The Limits of Morality" was published. It is an extended critique of two key assumptions which underlie what Kagan calls "ordinary morality" - the "common‐sense moral view that most of us accept." Specifically, the book questions the assumption that morality rules out certain actions (such as harming innocent people) even in situations where doing so might create greater good, and the assumption that individuals are "not required to make our greatest possible contribution to the overall good." According to Kagan, these two assumptions are indefensible, despite their widespread appeal.