Full Description
This clear and concise introduction to ethics or moral philosophy surveys the main ideas of moral philosophy and discusses its most controversial areas. In pursuing ethics' fundamental query, how we ought to live, Steven Luper devotes substantial space - two chapters - to the question of what the best life is like. Like other ethics texts, "A Guide to Ethics" devotes most of its coverage to the question of what our obligations are.
Contents
1.INTRODUCTION: What is Ethics? 2. SUBJECTIVISM: Is Morality an Illusion 3. CULTURAL RELATIVISM: Does Each Culture Invent Its Own Morality? 4. THE DIVINE COMMAND VIEW: Is Morality God's Invention? 5. HEDONISM: Is the Pleasant Life the Best Life? 6. PERFECTIONISM: Do we Live Best when we Excel? 7. ETHICAL EGOISM: Is Duty a Matter of Self-Enhancement? 8. UTILITARIANISM: Does Duty Consist in Maximizing the Collective Good? 9. KANTIANISM: Is Duty Respect for Humanity? 10. CONTRACTARIANISM: Is Duty the Outcome of an Ideal Agreement? 11. THE CONTEMPORARY DEBATE: What are some Contemporary Approaches to Ethics?
