Synopses & Reviews
The most comprehensive collection of its kind,
Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary Issues, 2/e is organized into three sections, providing instructors with flexibility in designing and teaching a variety of courses in moral philosophy. The first section, Historical Sources, moves from classical thought (Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and Epictetus) through medieval views (Augustine and Aquinas) to modern theories (Hobbes, Butler, Hume, Kant, Bentham, and Mill), culminating with leading nineteenth- and twentieth-century thinkers (Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, James, Dewey, Camus, and Sartre). The readings are printed in their entirety wherever possible. The second section, Modern Ethical Theory, includes many of the most important essays of the past century. The discussion of utilitarianism, Kantianism, egoism, and relativism continues in the work of major contemporary philosophers (Williams, Brandt, Feinberg, Foot, and Rachels). Landmark selections (Moore, Prichard, Ross, Ayer, Stevenson, Anscombe, Baier, Hare, Harman, and Gauthier) reflect concern with moral language and the justification of morality. The concepts of justice (Rawls) and rights (Feinberg) are explored, as well as recent views on the importance of virtue ethics (MacIntyre and Rachels) and an ethic influenced by feminist concerns (Held). In the third section, Contemporary Moral Problems, the readings present the current debates over abortion, euthanasia, famine relief, animal rights, the death penalty, and affirmative action.
This second edition features expanded selections from Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, and Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus. It also includes articles by Michael Stocker on ethical theory; Jane English and Joel Feinberg on abortion; Thomas D. Sullivan on euthanasia; Hugo Adam Bedau on capital punishment; and Judith Jarvis Thomson, Robert Simon, and Steven M. Cahn on affirmative action.
Synopsis
The most comprehensive collection of its kind, Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary Issues, 2/e is organized into three sections, providing instructors with flexibility in designing and teaching a variety of courses in moral philosophy. The first section, Historical Sources, moves from
classical thought (Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and Epictetus) through medieval views (Augustine and Aquinas) to modern theories (Hobbes, Butler, Hume, Kant, Bentham, and Mill), culminating with leading nineteenth- and twentieth-century thinkers (Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, James, Dewey,
Camus, and Sartre). The readings are printed in their entirety wherever possible. The second section, Modern Ethical Theory, includes many of the most important essays of the past century. The discussion of utilitarianism, Kantianism, egoism, and relativism continues in the work of major
contemporary philosophers (Williams, Brandt, Feinberg, Foot, and Rachels). Landmark selections (Moore, Prichard, Ross, Ayer, Stevenson, Anscombe, Baier, Hare, Harman, and Gauthier) reflect concern with moral language and the justification of morality. The concepts of justice (Rawls) and rights
(Feinberg) are explored, as well as recent views on the importance of virtue ethics (MacIntyre and Rachels) and an ethic influenced by feminist concerns (Held). In the third section, Contemporary Moral Problems, the readings present the current debates over abortion, euthanasia, famine relief,
animal rights, the death penalty, and affirmative action.
This second edition features expanded selections from Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, and Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus. It also includes articles by Michael Stocker on ethical theory; Jane English and Joel Feinberg on abortion; Thomas D. Sullivan on euthanasia; Hugo Adam Bedau
on capital punishment; and Judith Jarvis Thomson, Robert Simon, and Steven M. Cahn on affirmative action.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
I. HISTORICAL SOURCES
Introduction, Alasdair MacIntyre
1. Plato
Euthyphro
Defence of Socrates
Crito
Phaedo (115d-118)
The Republic (selections)
2. Aristotle
Nicomachean Ethics (selections)
3. Epicurus
Letter to Menoeceus
Leading Doctrines
4. Epictetus
Enchiridion
5. Augustine
Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love (selections)
6. Thomas Aquinas
Summa Contra Gentiles (selections)
7. Thomas Hobbes
Leviathan (selections)
8. Joseph Butler
Fifteen Sermons (selections)
9. David Hume
An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (selections)
10. Immanuel Kant
Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals
11. Jeremy Bentham
An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (selections)
12. John Stuart Mill
Utilitarianism
13. Soren Kierkegaard
Fear and Trembling (Problems IandII)
14. Arthur Schopenhauer
On the Sufferings of the World
15. Friedrich Nietzsche
Beyond Good and Evil (selections)
On the Genealogy of Morals (selections)
Twilight of the Idols (selections)
16. William James
The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life
17. John Dewey
The Quest for Certainty (selections)
18. Albert Camus
The Myth of Sisyphus (selections)
19. Jean-Paul Sartre
Existentialism Is a Humanism
II. MODERN ETHICAL THEORY
Introduction, James Rachels
20. G.E. Moore
Principia Ethica (selections)
21. H.A. Prichard
Does Moral Philosophy Rest on a Mistake?
22. W.D. Ross
The Right and the Good (selections)
23. A.J. Ayer
Language, Truth, and Logic (selections)
24. C.L. Stevenson
The Emotive Meaning of Ethical Terms
25. R.M. Hare
Freedom and Reason (selections)
26. Kurt Baier
The Point of View of Morality
27. G.E.M. Anscombe
Modern Moral Philosophy
28. John Rawls
A Theory of Justice (selections)
29. David Gauthier
Why Contractarianism?
30. Joel Feinberg
Psychological Egoism
31. Philippa Foot
Morality as a System of Hypothetical Imperatives
32. Richard B. Brandt
Some Merits of One Form of Rule Utilitarianism
33. Bernard Williams
A Critique of Utilitarianism
34. Joel Feinberg
The Nature and Value of Rights
35. Gilbert Harman
The Nature of Morality (selections)
36. James Rachels
The Challenge of Cultural Relativism
37. Michael Stocker
The Schizophrenia of Modern Ethical Theories
38. Alasdair MacIntyre
After Virtue
39. Virginia Held
Reason, Gender and Moral Theory
40. James Rachels
The Ethics of Virtue
41. J.O. Urmson
Saints and Heroes
42. Susan Wolf
Moral Saints
43. Thomas Nagel
Moral Luck
III. CONTEMPORARY MORAL PROBLEMS
Introduction, Peter Singer
44. Judith Jarvis Thomson
A Defense of Abortion
45. Michael Tooley
Abortion and Infanticide
46. Jane English
Abortion and the Concept of a Person
47. Joel Feinberg
Abortion
48. James Rachels
Active and Passive Euthanasia
49. Thomas D. Sullivan
Active and Passive Euthanasia: An Impertinent Distinction?
50. Philippa Foot
Euthanasia
51. Peter Singer
Famine, Affluence, and Morality
52. John Arthur
Famine Relief and the Ideal Moral Code
53. Tom Regan
The Case for Animal Rights
54. Carl Cohen
The Case for the Use of Animals in Biomedical Research
55. Ernest van den Haag
In Defense of the Death Penalty
56. Hugo Adam Bedau
Capital Punishment
57. Judith Jarvis Thomson
Preferential Hiring
58. Robert Simon
Preferential Hiring: A Response to Judith Jarvis Thomson
59. Steven M. Cahn
Two Concepts of Affirmative Action