Basic Ethics

Description

Basic Ethics presents for a wide range of students and other interested readers the questions raised in thinking about ethical problems, the answers offered by moral philosophy, and the means to better integrate into both the reader’s world and personal life. It takes up what the author calls a "worldview theory," which shows readers how to begin with the values and understanding of the world that they already possess in order to transition from there to new levels of increasing ethical awareness. Updates to the third edition include the more thorough integration of feminist ethics into the principal theoretical traditions, a new chapter on the ethical responsibility to be well informed of current events, expanded coverage of human rights, and additional opportunities on how to use ethical reasoning in thinking about one’s own life and about public policy. Dedication Contents List of Boxes Preface Part I: The Basic Questions 1 Living in a World of Values 2 Personal Worldview and Community Worldview 3 The Ethical Duty to Be Knowledgeable about Your World 4 Relativism 5 Egoism 6 Are People Good or Bad? 7 Morality and Religion 8 Feminist Ethics Part II: The Basic Answers 9 It’s All about Your Intuition: Ethical Intuitionism 10 It’s All in Your Attitude: Ethical Non-Cognitivism 11 It’s All about Freely Made Agreements: Ethical Contractarianism 12 It’s All about Your Character: Virtue Ethics 13 It’s about the Team: Utilitarianism 14 It’s All about Your Duty: Deontology Part III: Putting It All Together 15 Human Rights 16 Formulating Your Own Answers Glossary Index