Critical Reasoning in Ethics: A Practical Introduction

✍ Scribed by Anne Thomson

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 223
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

I really wanted to like this book on ethical reasoning. It simply doesn't connect with the reader - perhaps it's the British way, but there's little practical connection of the important concept of ethics to everyday life. Perhaps other graduate-level textbooks on ethics are no better, I wouldn't know. But after reading two of Thomson's books, I would say there would have to be.

✦ Table of Contents

Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
Acknowledgements......Page 8
Introduction......Page 10
Analysing moral reasoning......Page 14
Recognising moral arguments......Page 15
Exercise 1 Identifying moral arguments and conclusions......Page 22
Structure of arguments......Page 24
Other devices in reasoning......Page 33
More features of ethical arguments......Page 35
Exercise 2 Analysing moral arguments......Page 38
Assessing moral reasoning......Page 42
Can moral arguments be assessed?......Page 44
Truth of reasons and reliability of authorities......Page 52
Assessing support for conclusions......Page 54
Flaws in arguments......Page 57
Assessing analogies and comparisons......Page 59
Exercise 3 Assessing moral reasoning......Page 62
Exercising the skills of reasoning......Page 68
Decision making......Page 100
The optimising strategy......Page 101
Ethical decision strategy......Page 107
Exercise 5 Making decisions......Page 114
Concepts in practical ethics......Page 118
Clarifying terms......Page 119
Clarifying concepts......Page 121
Exercise 7 Analysing concepts......Page 131
Moral principles and moral theories......Page 132
Utilitarianism......Page 133
Kant's moral theory......Page 139
Moral theories and some other principles......Page 144
Exercise 8 Applying principles and theories......Page 149
Fair-mindedness and the role of emotion......Page 152
Emotion and morality......Page 155
Emotion and fair-mindedness......Page 156
Exercise 9 Assessing issues in a fair-minded way......Page 161
Exercise 10 Using all the skills......Page 170
Appendix 1 Comments on selected exercises......Page 172
Exercise 2......Page 174
Exercise 3......Page 177
Appendix 2 Summaries on specific ethical issues......Page 186
Euthanasia......Page 191
Ethics and animals......Page 196
Ethics and the environment......Page 202
Capital punishment......Page 206
Ethics and war......Page 211
Bibliography......Page 218
Index......Page 220