The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics

PART I. THE STORY AS A TOOL OF ETHICS

1. Who Cares About Ethics?

Narratives: Jurassic Park / Wag the Dog

2. Stories with Morals

Plato, The Republic / Aristotle, Poetics / Narratives: Euripides, Medea, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Pulp Fiction, Lord Jim

PART II. WHAT SHOULD I DO? THEORIES OF CONDUCT

3. Ethical Relativism

Ruth Benedict, “Anthropology and the Abnormal” / Bhikhu Parekh, “The Concept of Multicultural Education” / Narratives: Possessing the Secret of Joy, Sideshow, Do the Right Thing

4. Myself or Others?

Plato, Republic / Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan / Ayn Rand, “The Ethics of Emergencies” / Narratives: Hero, Madame Bovary, Atlas Shrugged

5. Using Your Reason, Part 1: Utilitarianism

Jeremy Bentham, “Of the Principle of Utility” / John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism / Narratives: “The Blacksmith and the Baker”, The Brothers Karamazov, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, Saving Private Ryan, Extreme Measures

6. Using Your Reason, Part 2: Kant’s Deontology

Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals / Immanuel Kant, Metaphysics of Morals / Three Deontological Films: High Noon / Outland / Cop Land / Narratives: Abandon Ship!, Rebel Without a Cause, Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Justice”, The Bridges of Madison County

7. Personhood, Rights, and Justice

The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights / John Rawls, “Justice as Fairness” / Stephen Nathanson, An Eye for an Eye? The Morality of Punishing by Death / John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, Journey Into Darkness / Narratives: Blade Runner, Gattaca, Losing Isaiah, “The Jigsaw Man”, Dead Man Walking

PART III. HOW SHOULD I BE? THEORIES OF VIRTUE

8. Socrates, Plato, and the Good Life

Plato, Euthyphro / Plato, The Apology / Narratives: A Man for All Seasons, “The Myth of the Cave”

9. Aristotle’s Virtue Theory

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics / Narratives: “The Flight of Icarus”, Njal’s Saga, Lord Jim, “A Piece of Advice”, As Good As It Gets

10. Modern Perspectives

Søren Kierkegaard, “Johannes Climacus” / Søren Kierkegaard, “Either/Or” / Emmanuel Levinas, “The Paradox of Morality” / Narratives: Hannah and Her Sisters, No Exit, A Few Good Men

11. Different Gender, Different Ethic?

Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex / Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice / Narratives: Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House, Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate, Thelma and Louise

12. Case Studies in Virtues

Philip Hallie, Tales of Good and Evil, Help and Harm / Lin Yutang, “On Growing Old Gracefully” / Narratives: The Parable of the Good Samaritan, “King Yudisthira and the Dog”, Schindler’s List, Eat Drink Man Woman, Grand Canyon, Othello, “The Faithful Wife and the Woman Warrior”, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Searchers

13. The Moral Importance of Stories, or The More I Love the Story

Martha Nussbaum, Love’s Knowledge / Tristine Rainer, Your Life as Story / Narratives: Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Smoke Signals, Tombstone

Glossary

Selected Bibliography

Index

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