Do Morals Matter? A Textbook Guide to Contemporary Religious Ethics

The revised second edition of the accessible guide to contemporary ethical issues that are at the intersection of religion and morality 

The updated second edition of Do Morals Matter? offers an authoritative yet approachable guide to the current ethical issues that bridge the gap between religion and morality. This informed text examines today’s key ethical issues that range from making moral decisions in business and medicine, to the uncertainty of war and terrorism and the tenuous condition of our environment.

This popular textbook embraces the dramatic changes that have occurred since the first edition was published such as changes in attitude towards the LGBT community as well as emerging ethical areas such as cyber ethics. In consultation with professors, the new edition includes sections at the beginning and end of each chapter that provide clear and succinct summaries of key issues, as well as reflective and discussion questions.

This revised text:

• Sets out all the major ethical options in a balanced way inviting students to make their own mind up
• Deals with both moral philosophy and applied ethics
• Starts every chapter with a thought-exercise to provoke discussion
• Places Brexit and President Trump in an appropriate ethical framework
• Develops the concept of a Morally Serious Person.

Written for students studying ethics in departments of theology and religion, Do Morals Matter? is the thoroughly revised and updated edition of the text that explores contemporary ethical issues. 

IAN S. MARKHAM, PhD, was appointed as Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary in August 2007. Before being called to VTS, Dean Markham served as Dean and Professor of Theology and Ethics at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut as well as Visiting Professor of Globalization, Ethics, and Islam at Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. He also served on the faculty of Liverpool Hope University and University of Exeter.

Acknowledgements ix

Preface x

1 Thinking about Ethics 1

Part I Philosophical Ethics 7

2 Why Not Do Wrong? 9

3 Is the Ethical a Human Construct or a Factual Realm? 19

4 Do You Just Do What Is Right or Do You Try to Predict the Outcomes? 33

5 Natural Law and Virtue Ethics 48

6 Ethics and the Bible 58

7 Learning from the Wisdom of the World 75

8 Humanism: Do We Need God to Realize That People Just Matter? 90

Part II Ethical Dilemmas 101

9 Dilemmas in Bed 103

10 Dilemmas in Business 120

11 Dilemmas in Medicine 136

12 Dilemmas Involving Violence and Power 160

13 Dilemmas in Government and Leadership 173

14 Dilemmas and the Future: The Environment, Animals, and Plants 186

15 Dilemmas in the Cyber World 201

Part III Making a Decision 211

16 Becoming a Morally Serious Person 213

17 Taking an Ethical Position 229

Index 242

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