Ethics: A Pluralistic Approach to Moral Theory

✍ Scribed by Lawrence M. Hinman

• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 383
• Edition: 4
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

ETHICS: A PLURALISTIC APPROACH TO MORAL THEORY provides a comprehensive yet clear introduction to the main traditions in ethical thought, including virtue ethics, utilitarianism, and deontology. Additionally, the book presents a conceptual framework of ethical pluralism to help students understand the relationship among various theories. Hinman, one of the most respected and accomplished professionals in ethics and philosophy education today, presents a text that gives students plentiful opportunities to explore ethical theory and their own responses to them, using fascinating features such as the "Ethical Inventory" sections that appear at the beginning and the end of the text. End-of-chapter discussion questions, interviews with contemporary advocates of major ethical theories, and the use of current issues and movies help students retain what they've learn and truly comprehend the subject matter.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Contents......Page 5
Preface......Page 9
WHY STUDY ETHICS?......Page 12
AN ETHICS INVENTORY: DISCOVERING YOUR OWN MORAL BELIEFS......Page 17
THE MORAL POINT OF VIEW......Page 23
THE POINT OF ETHICAL REFLECTION......Page 27
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A MORAL THEORY......Page 30
ETHICS AND MORAL HEALTH......Page 32
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 33
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 34
CHAPTER 2: Understanding the Diversity of Moral Beliefs......Page 36
TWO LEVELS OF MORAL CONFLICT......Page 38
ETHICAL RELATIVISM......Page 41
ETHICAL ABSOLUTISM......Page 59
ETHICAL PLURALISM......Page 60
PRINCIPLES FOR RESPONDING TO MORAL CONFLICT......Page 65
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 67
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 69
CHAPTER 3: The Ethics of Divine Commands......Page 72
THE DIVERSITY OF RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS......Page 73
RELIGIOUS BELIEF AND MORAL RULES......Page 90
SAINTS AND MORAL EXEMPLARS......Page 98
THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN THE MORAL LIFE......Page 99
RELIGIOUS BELIEF: DIVERSITY AND DIALOGUE......Page 102
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 104
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 105
CHAPTER 4: The Ethics of Selfishness......Page 110
PSYCHOLOGICAL EGOISM......Page 111
DETERMINISM AND FREEDOM......Page 119
ETHICAL EGOISM......Page 124
THE TRUTH IN ETHICAL EGOISM......Page 133
LIBERTARIANISM......Page 134
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 136
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 137
CHAPTER 5: The Ethics of Consequences......Page 140
DEFINING UTILITY......Page 142
APPLYING THE MEASURE......Page 145
HOW MUCH UTILITY IS ENOUGH?......Page 147
CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT?......Page 148
CONSEQUENCES FOR WHOM?......Page 160
RACE, ETHNICITY, AND UTILITARIAN THEORY......Page 162
ISSUES IN UTILITARIANISM......Page 164
LIVING THE UTILITARIAN LIFE......Page 171
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 172
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 174
DUTY IN THE LIFE OF EDMUND G. ROSS......Page 177
THE ETHICS OF DUTY......Page 178
UNIVERSALIZABILITY AND THE CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE......Page 183
RESPECT AND USING PEOPLE......Page 189
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO USE OTHER PERSONS MERELY AS MEANS?......Page 190
THE KANTIAN HERITAGE......Page 198
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 200
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 202
CHAPTER 7: The Ethics of Rights......Page 206
RIGHTS: SOME INITIAL DISTINCTIONS......Page 207
THE JUSTIFICATION OF NATURAL RIGHTS......Page 212
MORAL RIGHTS......Page 222
WHAT RIGHTS DO WE HAVE?......Page 224
THE LIMITS OF RIGHTS TALK......Page 233
THE ROLE OF RIGHTS IN THE MORAL LIFE......Page 236
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 237
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 239
CHAPTER 8: Justice......Page 244
PLATO'S ACCOUNT OF JUSTICE......Page 245
DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE: JOHN RAWLS......Page 247
DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE: NON-RAWLSIAN THEORIES......Page 250
CRIMINAL JUSTICE......Page 256
GLOBAL JUSTICE......Page 259
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 266
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 267
THE VILLAGE OF LE CHAMBON......Page 270
FROM THE ETHICS OF ACTION TO THE ETHICS OF CHARACTER......Page 271
CHARACTER AND HUMAN FLOURISHING......Page 274
THE STRUCTURE OF VIRTUES......Page 279
COURAGE......Page 282
COMPASSION......Page 287
SELF-LOVE......Page 291
PRACTICAL WISDOM, ETHICAL PLURALISM, AND THE GOOD LIFE......Page 296
THE ETHICS OF CHARACTER AND THE ETHICS OF ACTION......Page 299
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 300
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 301
WOMEN'S VOICES......Page 306
RETHINKING THE HISTORY OF ETHICS......Page 307
NEW MORAL CONCEPTS: THE ETHICS OF CARE......Page 310
FEMINIST ETHICAL THEORY: EMERGING MORAL ISSUES......Page 323
ONE WORLD, TWO GENDERS......Page 330
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 331
CHAPTER 11: The Ethics of Diversity......Page 334
PLURALISM, MULTICULTURALISM, AND COSMOPOLITANISM......Page 335
THE IDENTITY ARGUMENT......Page 336
MINORITY RIGHTS......Page 348
LIVING WITH MORAL DIVERSITY: ETHICAL PLURALISM AND THE VIRTUES OF LIVING IN A MULTICULTURAL WORLD......Page 354
LIVING MORALLY......Page 360
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 361
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY......Page 363
CHAPTER 12: Conclusion......Page 366
Glossary......Page 374
Photo Credits......Page 379
Index......Page 380