Introducing Ethics For Here and Now

Students learn how traditional ethical theories can be applied to practical problems . Introducing Ethicsis a brief text that encourages students to determine how the common wisdom of traditional ethical theories can be applied to practical problems such as the distribution of income and wealth, torture, terrorism, and gay and lesbian rights. The text begins by challenging students to think about whether or not ethics is useful for making choices. It poses three questions: 1) Is morality determined by religion rather than reason? 2) Is everything relative? 3) Is it better to be an egoist? Then, after laying out Utilitarian ethics, Kantian ethics, and Aristotelian ethics, the author poses an additional three challenges focused on the traditional conceptions of ethics: the environmental challenge, the feminist challenge, and the multicultural challenge. Learning Goals Upon completing this book readers will be able to: Answer the question: Do I make ethical or moral choices well? Determine their own responses to ethical challenges Note:MySearchLab does not come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MySearchLab, please visit:www.mysearchlab.comor you can purchase a ValuePack of the text + MySearchLab (at no additional cost): ValuePack ISBN-10: 0205903843 / ValuePack ISBN-13: 9780205903849.

Preface	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Why Do We Need This Knowledge?	p. 2
Three Challenges to Ethics	p. 3
Three Traditional Ethical Perspectives	p. 4
Three More Challenges to Ethics	p. 5
Conclusion	p. 5
Notes	p. 5
Religion and Morality	p. 6
The Euthyphro Question	p. 6
Medieval Developments of Divine Command Theory	p. 7
Morality Dependent on God Through Creation	p. 7
Problems for Divine Command Theory	p. 8
How Are We to Understand God's Commands?	p. 8
Are God's Commands justified by Creation?	p. 9
How Are We to Identify God's Commands?	p. 10
Radically Modified Divine Command Theory	p. 11
Religion and the Public Arena	p. 11
Is Rawls's Requirement of Public Reason Unfair?	p. 13
Seeing Different Kinds of Unfairness	p. 14
Can Religious Moral Teachings Be Required by Reason?	p. 17
How Public Reasons Are to Be Made Accessible	p. 18
Conclusion	p. 19
MySearchLab Connections	p. 19
Notes	p. 20
The Challenge of Moral Relativism	p. 22
Negative Consequences from Endorsing Moral Relativism	p. 23
Tolerance-A Benefit from Endorsing Moral Relativism?	p. 23
But Is It True?	p. 25
Analysis of the Case of Rape and Marriage	p. 28
Analysis of the Case of Widows and Suttee	p. 30
Analysis of the Case of Female Circumcision	p. 31
A Comparison to Divine Command Theory	p. 33
The Standard Criticism of Moral Relativism	p. 33
Our Six Purported Cases of Moral Relativism	p. 34
Conclusion	p. 35
MySearchLab Connections	p. 35
Notes	p. 35
The Challenge of Egoism	p. 37
Psychological Egoism	p. 37
Ethical Egoism	p. 39
Individual Ethical Egoism	p. 39
Universal Ethical Egoism	p. 40
Appealing to Publicity	p. 41
Paralleling Egoism and Racism	p. 41
Appealing to Consistency	p. 42
Is There No Way to Meet the Challenge of Universal Ethical Egoism?	p. 43
From Rationality to Morality	p. 44
Lifeboat Cases	p. 47
Morality as Compromise	p. 47
Conclusion	p. 48
MySearchLab Connections	p. 48
Notes	p. 48
Utilitarian Ethics	p. 51
Introducing Utilitarian Ethics	p. 52
An Implication of Utilitarian Ethics: Sacrificing the Few for the Many	p. 53
Osama Bin Laden and Terrorism	p. 54
Hypothetical Examples	p. 56
An Objection to Utilitarian Ethics: Never Do Evil	p. 57
Refining and Answering the Objection: Necessary Harm and Independent Reasons	p. 57
A Further Defense: Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism	p. 59
A Better Defense: The "Ought" Implies "Can" Principle	p. 60
Conclusion	p. 62
MySearchLab Connections	p. 63
Notes	p. 63
Kantian Ethics	p. 65
Kant's Categorical Imperative Test	p. 65
Kant, Egoism and Hypothetical Imperatives	p. 66
A Central Requirement of Morality	p. 67
Universalizability Not Enough	p. 68
Other Formulations of Kant's Test	p. 68
Two Interpretations of Kant's Ethics	p. 69
Welfare Liberalism	p. 69
Libertarianism	p. 70
Supporting Examples	p. 71
Conflicting Liberties	p. 73
An Expanded "Ought" Implies "Can" Principle Again	p. 73
Libertarian Objections	p. 74
Conclusion	p. 76
MySearchLab Connections	p. 76
Notes	p. 77
Aristotelian Ethics	p. 78
Happiness and the Virtuous Life	p. 78
Characterizing the Virtuous Life	p. 80
Conflicts with Kantian Ethics	p. 81
The Importance of Rules	p. 82
Focusing on How We Should Act	p. 82
The Priority Question	p. 83
Ayn Rand's Aristotelian Ethics	p. 84
The No-Conflict Thesis	p. 85
Conflicts of Self-interest in Rand's Novels	p. 87
The No-Duty Thesis	p. 88
The Importance of Rejecting the No-Conflict Thesis	p. 89
Conclusion	p. 90
MySearchLab Connections	p. 90
Notes	p. 91
Taking-Stock Interlude	p. 93
The Challenge of Environmentalism	p. 95
Singer's Utilitarian Environmentalism	p. 95
Regan's Kantian Environmentalism	p. 96
Biocentrism	p. 96
Principles of Conflict Resolution	p. 98
Individualism and Holism	p. 101
An Objection from a Somewhat Alien Perspective	p. 104
Conclusion	p. 106
MySearchLab Connections	p. 107
Notes	p. 107
The Challenge of Feminism	p. 109
Gilligan's Challenge	p. 109
The Practical Inadequacy of Traditional Theories of Justice	p. 111
Is It Discrimination or Is It Choice?	p. 112
The Practical Inadequacy of the Traditional Ideals of a Morally Good Person	p. 115
Conclusion	p. 118
MySearchLab Connections	p. 119
Notes	p. 9
The Challenge of Multiculturalism	p. 122
Correcting and Interpreting Traditional Ethics	p. 124
Using American Indian Culture	p. 124
Using Confucius	p. 126
New Obligations for Traditional Ethics	p. 128
Applying Traditional Ethics Cross-Culturally	p. 133
Conclusion	p. 135
MySearchLab Connections	p. 136
Notes	p. 136
Conclusion	p. 138
Three Challenges	p. 138
Three Conceptions of Ethics	p. 138
Three More Challenges	p. 139
Practicing Ethics	p. 140
Summing-Up	p. 144
Notes	p. 144
Glossary	p. 145
Index	p. 147
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