Ethics

"Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary Issues, Third Edition", 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 (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 (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 whether numbers should play a role in making moral decisions. The third edition expands Part II, Modern Ethical Theory, adding essays by Onora O'Neill, Ruth Barcan Marcus, Allan Gibbard, Nicholas L. Sturgeon, and Martha Nussbaum. Part III, Contemporary Moral Problems, features new essays on abortion by Mary Anne Warren, Don Marquis, and Rosalind Hursthouse; an essay on the death penalty by Stephen Nathanson; and a debate between John Taurek and Derek Parfit on when and why one should save a greater rather than a lesser number of people from harm. The book concludes with an essay by Judith Jarvis Thomson on the trolley problem. 

 

Preface; Introduction; I. HISTORICAL SOURCES; Introduction, Alasdair MacIntyre; 1. Plato; 2. Aristotle; 3. Epicurus; 4. Epictetus; 5. Augustine; 6. Thomas Aquinas; 7. Thomas Hobbes; 8. Joseph Butler; 9. David Hume; 10. Immanuel Kant; 11. Jeremy Bentham; 12. John Stuart Mill; 13. Friedrich Nietzsche; 14. William James; 15. John Dewey; 16. Albert Camus; 17. Jean-Paul Sartre; II. MODERN ETHICAL THEORY; Introduction, James Rachels; 18. G.E. Moore; 19. H.A. Prichard; 20. W.D. Ross; 21. A.J. Ayer; 22. C.L. Stevenson; 23. R.M. Hare; 24. Kurt Baier; 25. G.E.M. Anscombe; 26. John Rawls; 27. David Gauthier; 28. Joel Feinberg; * 30 Onora O'Neill; * 31 Ruth Barcan Marcus; 32. Richard B. Brandt; 33. Bernard Williams; * 34 Allan Gibbard; 35. Joel Feinberg; 36. Gilbert Harman; * 37 Nicholas L. Sturgeon; 38. James Rachels; * 39 Martha Nussbaum; 40. Virginia Held; 41. James Rachels; 42. Susan Wolf; 43. Thomas Nagel; III. CONTEMPORARY MORAL PROBLEMS; Introduction, Peter Singer; 44. Judith Jarvis Thomson; * 45 Mary Anne Warren; * 46 Don Marquis; * 47 Rosalind Hursthouse; 48. James Rachels; 49. Philippa Foot; 50. Peter Singer; 51. John Arthur; 52. Tom Regan; 53. Carl Cohen; 54. Ernest van den Haag; * 55 Stephen Nathanson; * 56 John Taurek; * 57 Derek Parfit; * 58 Judith Jarvis Thomson; The Trolley Problem