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The Elements of Moral Philosophy

by: Rachels, James

The Elements of Moral Philosophy

by: Rachels, James

ISBN 13:
9780070525603
ISBN 10:
0070525609
Edition: 3rd
Format: Paperback
Copyright: 07/01/1998
Publisher: McGraw Hill College Div
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Summary

Firmly established as the standard text for undergraduate courses in ethics, this concise, lively book combines clear explanations of the main theories of ethics with discussions of interesting examples. Topics covered include famine relief, euthanasia, homosexuality, and the treatment of animals. The text's versatility allows it to be widely used not only in ethical theory courses, but also in applied ethics courses of all kinds.

Preface

About the Third Edition

xiii

What is Morality?

(19)

The Problem of Definition

(1)

An Infant with No Prospects: Baby Theresa

(4)

An Infant with Uncertain Prospects: Baby Jane Doe

(8)

A Child with No Further Prospects: Tracy Latimer

(2)

Reason and Impartiality

(4)

The Minimum Conception of Morality

(1)

The Challenge Of Cultural Relativism

(17)

How Different Cultures Have Different Moral Codes

(2)

Cultural Relativism

(1)

The Cultural Differences Argument

(2)

The Consequences of Taking Cultural Relativism Seriously

(2)

Why There Is Less Disagreement Than It Seems

(2)

How All Cultures Have Some Values in Common

(2)

Judging a Cultural Practice to Be Undesirable

(3)

What Can Be Learned from Cultural Relativism

(3)

Subjectivism In Ethics

(16)

The Basic Idea of Ethical Subjectivism

(1)

The Evolution of the Theory

(1)

The First Stage: Simple Subjectivism

(2)

The Second Stage: Emotivism

(4)

Emotivism, Reason, and ``Moral Facts''

(2)

Are There Proofs in Ethics?

(3)

The Question of Homosexuality

(3)

Does Morality Depend On Religion?

(17)

The Presumed Connection between Morality and Religion

(2)

The Divine Command Theory

(4)

The Theory of Natural Law

(5)

Christianity and the Problem of Abortion

(6)

Psychological Egoism

(12)

Is Unselfishness Possible?

(1)

The Strategy of Reinterpreting Motives

(2)

Two Arguments in Favor of Psychological Egoism

(4)

Clearing Away Some Confusions

(2)

The Deepest Error in Psychological Egoism

(3)

Ethical Egoism

(14)

Is There a Duty to Contribute for Famine Relief?

(3)

Three Arguments in Favor of Ethical Egoism

(5)

Three Arguments against Ethical Egoism

(6)

The Utilitarian Approach

(11)

The Revolution in Ethics

(3)

First Example: Euthanasia

(3)

Second Example: Nonhuman Animals

102

(5)

The Debate Over Utilitarianism

107

(15)

The Resilience of the Theory

107

(1)

Is Happiness the Only Thing That Matters?

108

(2)

Are Consequences All That Matter?

110

(5)

The Defense of Utilitarianism

115

(7)

Are There Absolute Moral Rules?

122

(10)

Kant and the Categorical Imperative

122

(3)

Absolute Rules and the Duty Not to Lie

125

(3)

Conflicts between Rules

128

(1)

Another Look at Kant's Basic Idea

129

(3)

Kant And Respect For Persons

132

(11)

The Idea of ``Human Dignity''

132

(3)

Retribution and Utility in the Theory of Punishment

135

(3)

Kant's Retributivism

138

(5)

The Idea Of A Social Contract

143

(19)

Hobbes's Argument

143

(4)

The Prisoner's Dilemma

147

(5)

Some Advantages of the Social Contract Theory of Morals

152

(3)

The Problem of Civil Disobedience

155

(3)

Difficulties for the Theory

158

(4)

Feminism And The Ethics Of Care

162

(13)

Do Women and Men Think Differently about Ethics?

162

(7)

Implications for Moral Judgment

169

(4)

Implications for Ethical Theory

173

(2)

The Ethics Of Virtue

175

(19)

The Ethics of Virtue and the Ethics of Right Action

175

(2)

The Virtues

177

(10)

Some Advantages of Virtue Ethics

187

(2)

The Incompleteness of Virtue Ethics

189

(5)

What Would A Satisfactory Moral Theory Be Like?

194

(14)

Morality without Hubris

194

(7)

The Moral Community

201

(1)

Justice and Fairness

202

(6)

Suggestions for Further Reading

208

(10)

Notes on Sources

218

(9)

Index

227

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Elements of Moral Philosophy

The Elements of Moral Philosophy

9780070525603

0070525609

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Elements of Moral Philosophy

The Elements of Moral Philosophy

9780070525603

0070525609

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

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