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Virtue Ethics collects, for the first time, the main classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of virtue ethics approach to normative ethical theory. Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative theory.

• Introduced by Stephen Darwall, this collection brings together classic and contemporary readings which define and advance the literature on virtue ethics.
  
• Includes six essays which respond to the classic sources.
  
• Includes a contemporary discussion on character and virtue by Gary Watson.
  
• Includes classic essays by Aristotle, Francis Hutcheson and David Hume, and recent reactions to this work by philosophers including Philippa Foot, John McDowell, Alasdair MacIntyre, Annette Baier, Rosalind Hursthouse, and Michael Slote.

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"For more than a quarter of a century, those in search of an introduction to Buddhist moral thought have turned and returned to this volume." Thus notes Charles Hallisey of Harvard University in his introduction. Starting with an examination of classical Greek notions of ethics, Venerable Saddhatissa goes on to explain the development of Buddhist moral codes and their practical application. ... Read more

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Hughes explains the key elements in Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics terminology and highlights the controversy regarding the interpretations of his writings. In addition, he examines the role that Aristotle's ethics continue to play in contemporary moral philosophy by comparing and contrasting his views with those widely held today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

We Reach Our Complete Perfection Through Habit
I read this book for a graduate seminar on Aristotle.I think Aristotle's ethics is his most seminal work in philosophy.In the early 1960's virtue ethics came to fore.It is a retrieval of Aristotle.It has very close parallels to the ancient Chinese philosophy of Confucius and the modern philosophy espoused in the 1970's called Communitarianism.

For Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics, (EN) is about human life in an embodied state.Area of inquirery for EN is "good" this is his phenomenology.What does "good" mean?He suggests good means "a desired end."Something desirable.Means towards these ends.Such as money is good, so one can buy food to eat because "eating is good."In moral philosophy distinction between "intrinsic good" vs. "instrumental good."Instrumental good towards a desire is "instrumental good" like money.Thus, money is an "instrumental good" for another purpose because it produces something beyond itself.Instrumental good means because it further produces a good, "intrinsic good" is a good for itself, "for the sake of" an object like money."Intrinsic good" for him is "Eudemonia=happiness."This is what ethics and virtues are for the sake of the organizing principle.Eudemonia=happiness.Today we think of happiness as a feeling.It is not a feeling for Aristotle.Best translation for eudaimonia is "flourishing" or "living well."It is an active term and way of living for him thus, "excellence."Ultimate "intrinsic good" of "for the sake of."Eudaimonia is the last word for Aristotle.Can also mean fulfillment.Idea of nature was thought to be fixed in Greece convention is a variation.What he means is ethics is loose like "wealth is good but some people are ruined by wealth."EN isn't formula but a rough outline.Ethics is not precise; the nature of subject won't allow it.When you become a "good person" you don't think it out, you just do it out of habit!

You can have ethics without religion for Aristotle.Nothing in his EN is about the afterlife.He doesn't believe in the universal good for all people at all times like Plato and Socrates.The way he thought about character of agent, "thinking about the good."In addition, Aristotle talked about character traits.Good qualities of a person who would act well.Difference between benevolent acts and a benevolent person.If you have good character, you don't need to follow rules.Aretç=virtue, in Greek not religious connotation but anything across the board meaning "excellence" high level of functioning, a peak.Like a musical virtuoso.Ethical virtue is ethical excellence, which is the "good like."In Plato, ethics has to do with quality of soul defining what to do instead of body like desires and reason.For Aristotle these are not two separate entities.

To be good is how we live with other people, not just focus on one individual.Virtue can't be a separate or individual trait.Socrates said same the thing.Important concept for Aristotle, good upbringing for children is paramount if you don't have it, you are a lost cause.Being raised well is "good fortune" a child can't choose their upbringing.Happenstance is a matter of chance.

Pleasure cannot be an ultimate good.Part of the "good life" involves external goods like money, one can't attain "good life" if one is poor and always working.Socrates said material goods don't matter, then he always mooched off of his friends!Aristotle surmises that the highest form of happiness is contemplation.In Aristotle's Rhetoric, he lists several ingredients for attaining eudaimonia.Prosperity, self-sufficiency, etc., is important, thus, if you are not subject to other, competing needs.A long interesting list.It is common for the hoi polloi to say pleasure=happiness.Aristotle does not deny pleasure is good; however, it is part of a package of goods.Pleasure is a condition of the soul.In the animal world, biological beings react to pleasure and pain as usual.Humans as reasoning beings must pursue knowledge to fulfill human nature.It must be pleasurable to seek knowledge and other virtues and if it is not there is something wrong according to Aristotle.These are the higher pleasures and so you may have to put off lower pleasures for the sake of attaining "higher pleasures."

Phronçsis= "intelligence," really better to say "practical wisdom."The word practical helps here because the word Phronçsis for Aristotle is a term having to do with ethics, the choices that are made for the good.As a human being, you have to face choices about what to do and not to do.Phronçsis is going to be that capacity that power of the soul that when it is operating well will enable us to turn out well and that is why it is called practical wisdom.The practically wise person is somebody who knows how to live in such a way so that their life will turn out well, in a full package of "goods."For Aristotle, Phronçsis is not deductive or inductive knowledge like episteme; Phronçsis is not a kind of rational knowledge where you operate in either deduction or induction, you don't go thru "steps" to arrive at the conclusion.Therefore, Phronçsis is a special kind of capacity that Aristotle thinks operates in ethics.Only if you understand what Aristotle means by phronesis do you get a hold on the concept.My way of organizing it, it is Phronçsis that is a capacity that enables the virtues to manifest themselves.

What are the virtues?Phronçsis is the capacity of the soul that will enable the virtues to fulfill themselves.Virtue ethics is the characteristics of a person that will bring about a certain kind of moral living, and that is exactly what the virtues are.The virtues are capacities of a person to act well.All of the virtues can be organized by way of this basic power of the soul called Phronçsis.There are different virtues, but it is the capacity of Phronçsis that enables these virtues to become activated.Basic issue is to find the "mean" between extremes; this is how Aristotle defines virtues.

Humans are not born with the virtues; we learn them and practice them habitually."We reach our complete perfection through habit."Aristotle says we have a natural potential to be virtuous and through learning and habit, we attain them.Learn by doing according to Aristotle and John Dewey.Then it becomes habitual like playing a harp.Learning by doing is important for Aristotle.Hexis= "state," "having possession."Theoria= "study."The idea is not to know what virtue is but to become "good."Emphasis on finding the balance of the mean.Each virtue involves four basic points.

1. Action or circumstance.Such as risk of losing one's life.
2. Relevant emotion or capacity.Such as fear and pain.
3. Vices of excess and vices of deficiency in the emotions or the capacities.Such as cowardice is the excess vice of fear, recklessness is the excess deficiency.
4. Virtue as a "mean" between the vices and deficiencies.Such as courage as the "mean."

No formal rule or "mean" it depends on the situation and is different for different people as well.For example--one should eat 3,000 calories a day.Well depends on the health and girth of the person, and what activity they are engaged in.It is relative to us individually.
All Aristotle's qualifications are based on individual situations and done with knowledge of experience.Some things are not able to have a "mean" like murder and adultery because these are not "goods."
Akrasia= "incontinence" really "weakness of the will.Socrates thought that all virtues are instances of intelligence or Phronçsis.Aristotle criticizes Socrates idea of virtue, virtue is not caused by state of knowledge it is more complicated.Aristotle does not think you have to have a reasoned principle in the mind and then do what is right, they go together.

The distinctions between continent and incontinent persons, and moderate (virtue) and immoderate (not virtuous) persons is as follows:

1. Virtue.Truly virtuous people do not struggle to be virtuous, they do it effortlessly, very few people in this category, and most are in #2 and #3.
2. Ethical strength.Continence.We know what is right thing to do but struggle with our desires.
3. Ethical weakness.This is akrasia incontinence.Happens in real life.
4. Vice.The person acts without regret of his bad actions.

What does Aristotle mean by "fully virtuous"?Ethical strength is not virtue in the full sense of the term.Ethical weakness is not a full vice either.This is the critique against Socrates idea that "Knowledge equals virtue."No one can knowingly do the wrong thing.Thus, Socrates denies appetites and desires.Aristotle understands that people do things that they know are wrong, Socrates denies this.Socrates says if you know the right thing you will do it, Aristotle disagrees.The law is the social mechanism for numbers 2, 3, 4.A truly virtuous person is their own moral compass.

I recommend Aristotle's works to anyone interested in obtaining a classical education, and those interested in philosophy.Aristotle is one of the most important philosophers and the standard that all others must be judged by.
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A comprehensive examination of Lacan's seminar on ethics. ... Read more

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I want more...
Eros and Ethics written by Marc de Kesel is about reading Lacan's seventh seminar on the Ethics of Psychoanalysis. It's amazing for many reasons.
1. It is very lucid writing for someone writing about Lacan.
2. It explains the development of Lacan's ideas. Often Lacan seems contradictory because he changed his views so the early Lacan doesn't match the later Lacan.
3. It expains Lacan's ideas in the context that he wrote them in so when he talked about Aristotle or Kant or Sade or Freud he quotes or explains what they had to say and the paradigm they said it from and how the modern paradigm that Lacan is using is different.
4. It offers a very nuanced and complex view of the ethics of psychoanalysis. Very trippy indeed.
5. It offers an aesthetic theory based upon courtly love and Antigone. Amazing in itself.
6. It explains how and why Lacan came to use mathematics and topology to understand the structure of the subject.
7. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger. He shows how Lacan arrives at a certain point in his theory and yet there are still unanswered questions or paradoxes. The next chapter proceeds to show how Lacan tackled these paradoxes to arrive at the next stage and so on. After all there is no absolute knowledge.
8. Overall, it gave me a much clearer picture of the core of psychoanalysis that Lacan is after. I've been reading books on Lacan since the late 1970's and this is one of the best.
9. This book taught me what I felt like the Catholic church wasn't teaching me when I was seven.
10. My desire is that Marc write more books on Lacan's seminars. ... Read more

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During the past decade ethical theory has been in a lively state of development, and three basic approaches to ethics - Kantian ethics, consequentialism, and virtue ethics - have assumed positions of particular prominence. Written in the form of a debate, this volume presents a clear survey and assessment of the main arguments, both for and against each of these three central approaches to ethics. In doing so, it represents the first volume to bring these forms of ethical theory into a critical relationship, engaging current philosophical debate on the one hand in terms clear enough for undergraduates on the other. It is an ideal basis for course use in ethics and moral philosophy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Book, but for Mid to Upper level classes
I used this book in a class I taught some time back, and it went reasonably well. No students complained at all about the book. Although I would agree that the essays tend to be a bit too involved and intricate in qualifications for a typical first year intro to moral phil class regrettably, the suggestion by the prior reviewer that Pettit and Slote are just babbling is ludicrous. Three major orientations are exposited (Kantian, Consequentialist, and Virtue Theory) and then defended by each of the three players against objections raised by the other two. All three of these philosophers are thought well of both as defenders of the positions represented and as writers of philosophy. A good student can learn quite a bit from this book.

Philosophers who don't know what to say
Although this book was written by 3 famous professional moral philosophers it turns out to be dreadful. Only Baron's essay was worth reading. The other 2 writers seemed to be babbling. They had no clear idea of what the book was for and what they should say, and as a result they didn't present any real position or give a clear picture of their area of moral philosophy. This should certainly not be recommended to undergraduates as an introductory text! ... Read more

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A sequel to Callicott's pioneering work, In Defense of the Land Ethic, Beyond the Land Ethic engages a wide spectrum of topics central to the field, including the troubled relationship of environmental philosophy to current mainstream academic philosophy; the relationship of recent developments in evolutionary and ecological sciences to the Leopold land ethic long championed by the author; the perennial debates in environmental ethics about the ontological status of intrinsic value and the necessity of moral pluralism; the metaphysical implications of ecology and the New Physics as manifest in agriculture, medicine, and industrial technology; and the philosophical dimensions of conservation biology and "clinical ecology." ... Read more

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Aimed at undergraduates, Contemporary Ethics presupposes little or no familiarity with ethics and is written in a clear and engaging style. It provides students with a sympathetic but critical guide to utilitarianism, explaining its different forms and exploring the debates it has spawned. The book leads students through a number of current issues in contemporary ethics that are connected to controversies over and within utilitarianism. At the same time, it uses utilitarianism to introduce students to ethics as a subject. In these ways, the book is not only a guide to utilitarianism, but also an introduction to some standard problems of ethics and to several important topics in contemporary ethical theory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A good book for a goodly number
This really is an excellent book.It is perhaps -- in spite of what the author says -- most worth reading after someone has read Mill's Utilitarianism (which is itself a fine read).The best thing about this book is the thoroughness and clarity of the writing.Perhaps the author is a bit too easy on utilitarianism,but he puts his cards quite openly on the table. Another excellent aspect of the book is the wide referencing (the bibliography alone is worth the price of the book).I would highly recommend this to an undergraduate student in philosophy, and to that elusive general reader one has heard rumours of.

Solid defense of intelligent utilitarianism
Utilitarianism -- the ethical theory that the moral action is the one that results in the most happiness or utility -- has been subjected to the same objections over and over again since its introduction by Bentham and Mill -- utilitarianism is wrong, because it condones the killing of innocents, it fails to respect human rights, it fails to condemn lying, etc.William Shaw gives an easily-understood but nuanced defense of utilitarian ethics, giving it a credibility that many people fail to recognize after a short consideration.By considering the difference between an institution and an individual, the difference between what is right and what is admirable, and the implications of human limitations, Shaw gives a version of utilitarianism that is very simple to state, but surprisingly nuanced and complex to apply.
This text is ideal for an introdutory ethics or consequentialism class that intends to consider utilitarianism seriously.

An excellent introduction to utilitarian ethics
Shaw's book provides an excellent introduction to utilitarian ethics. Shaw covers not only the basics, which would be of interest mostly to those unfamiliar with the topic, but also goes into enough detail to stimulatethinking for those who already have a solid grasp of utilitarianism. Hecovers all the bases. Although he himself espouses utilitarianism as thepreferred ethical philosophy, he gives a fair presentation of opposingviews. Thus, he is not merely selling an agenda but exposes the reader toviews that differ from his.Shaw's book provides many good referencesthat ethical scholars can use to further their own research. But the bookis not intended merely for scholars. It would also serve as an excellenttext for a course on ethics. ... Read more

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How do we know what we know? What have wisdom, prudence and studiousness to do with justifying our beliefs? Jay Wood begins this introduction to epistemology by taking an extended look at the idea of knowing within the context of the intellectual virtues. He then surveys current views of foundationalism, epistemic justification and reliabilism. Finally he examines the relationship of epistemology to religious belief, and the role of emotions and virtues in proper cognitive functioningProfessors will find this text, with its many examples drawn from everyday student experience, especially useful in introducing students to the formal study of epistemology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Epistemology
This is a deep subject.It is a great book but a hard read.You have to really think about what you are reading.The book was in excellent shape and the print is easy on the eyes.

An excellent overview
This relatively compact volume offers everything one could want from an introductory text on epistemology.Wood highlights the importance of exploring how we think and process intellectual propositions, surveys the major schools of thought, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each and offers his own views throughout.While the language of this book is sometimes quite technical, for the most part it maintains a readable style.This will be a satisfactory treatment for those with a casual interest in the subject; for those with a deeper interest it will lay a solid foundation for further reading (along these lines, Wood includes an extensive bibliogprahy for additional resources).Highly recommended as a beginning point for epistemological studies.

Get Ready For Some Deep Thinking & Reading
Epistemology, of course, is the term used to denote how we think.Epistemology seeks to answer the question, "How do we know what we know?"Some had said that it is a question for those who have a lot of time on their hands to ponder such thoughts.Nonetheless, ideas do become reality and often what we think becomes who we are.This is a biblical idea as seen in Philippians 4:8 or Jesus' words in Matthew 12:33-37.

In this work, W. Jay Wood seeks to provide a Christian view of epistemology.He seeks to take a subject often given to humanistic thinking and he seeks to add Christian thinking into the subject.He does a fine job of presenting arguments first for how we know what we know and then moving toward a biblical world view.

Overall I found the book to be difficult reading (I try to read at night when I have less distractions but this book put me to sleep quickly).It's not Woods style, its the subject.Most people, including myself, don't care how we know what we know.We want to know how to take what we know and use it in our daily lives (Luke 11:21; James 1:21-25).I also would like to have seen Wood use more Scripture.Obviously, as a disciple of Jesus I am to renew my mind after God's Word (Romans 12:1-2) whereas I felt that Woods spent too much time on contrasting humanistic philosophy with Christian philosophy.The Bible alone speaks the truth of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21) and what we need in this day is not more knowledge but more obedience to the Word of God.

New approach to epistemology
This book is aimed at undergraduates, but it offers an important and innovativce perspective that would interest many others.Epistemologists are usually concerned with the conditions that justify believing something is true.Wood asks a different, perhaps even more interesting question: what qualities would a person have to have in order to function successfully as a knower throughout life?Following Aristotle, these could be called "intellectual virtues"--qualities of mind that enhance our performance as knowers.This approach not only identifies a fresh set of important issues in the philosophical reflection on knowing but pave the way to consider other important topics, such as the relation of emotions to knowing and the relation of knowing to religious faith.Wood does not neglect traditional questions and includes a useful survey of the basic epistemological theories.But the interest of his book is that he sets those issues in a wider context that reconnects epistemology to ethics in a very interesting and thought-provoking way.

Epistemology - not so difficult to follow
Epistemology was an assigned read for a master's level course. After scanning the text, I became concerned that this was going to be a boring and difficult read. This was not the case. The topic is actually very relatable to daily life and very interesting. I highly recommend Epistemology for anyone interested in learning more about what we believe and how we come to form those opinions.(Christian based) ... Read more

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One of Christianity Today's 2003 Books of the Year!In this masterful and innovative book Glen H. Stassen and David P. Gushee join profound ethical reflection with faith in Jesus Christ, a life of discipleship and the hope of the present and coming kingdom of God. The result is a challenging, comprehensive treatment of Christian ethics centered on the life and teachings of Jesus.Drawing on detailed studies of the Sermon on the Mount, Stassen and Gushee shed light on the whole of biblical ethical teaching as it relates to a wide range of issues, including peacemaking, just war, nonviolence, sexuality and gender roles, marriage and divorce, race, economics, care of creation, prayer and politics.Their work yields neither an impossible idealism, nor an abstract ethical system, nor a generic religious legalism. Rather Stassen and Gushee set forth a holistic ethic that motivates us and provides us with a practical basis for living under the lordship of Jesus Christ.Features & Benefits

* Comprehensive text on Christian ethics

* Non-technical

* Unique approach biblically grounded on the teachings of Jesus

* Covers current issues such as peace, just war, life at its beginnings and endings, biotechnology, sexuality and gender roles, marriage and divorce, love, justice, race, economics, prayer and politics ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Thought Provoking Guideline
I purchased this book in 2007 - read it slowly over approximately a 6 week period and still contemplate its content as it relates to my everyday experiences.I found many of of the perspectives offered refreshing and enlightening.Remarkably, alot of the author's interpretations appear to underscore the present status of organized religion's inability to recover many disenfranchised and disaffected believer's.Not suprisingly when I have engaged conversation with some younger, evangelical ministers or "ministry workers", they tend to roll their eyes at the concept of "living IN the Kingdom of GOD".Further, they grow impatient when hearing of an interest in being compassionate, servile and empathetic, without a simultaneous effort to recruit or proselytize for their particular agendas.Stassen and Gushee's text should be mandatory reading for all training to be clerics; regardless of denomination.

If you a satisfied with taking a smug appreciation for "doing Christian things" - as many a church will tell you desirable; don't consider this work.Conversely, if you aspire to "being Christian" as a "light unto the world", buy this book; read it, chew on it and digest it at your pace and let it's spiritual nutrition help you grow to a newer, higher understanding.

Using Jesus' Teaching to Transform Real Life
Stassen and Gushee present an impassioned and important call for Christian ethics to stem first from the Kingdom teachings of Jesus - with mixed results. Focusing on the Sermon on the Mount as a practical guide to teaching rather than "hard sayings" or "impossible ideals," the authors observe that Jesus' pattern in the Sermon was to describe the old rule of ethical conduct, describe its opposite, and then describe a "transforming initiative" which seeks to actively transform the world further through God's initiative toward the Kingdom here on earth. This is a wonderful and helpful observation. However, when the authors turn toward practical applications of this transforming pattern, most of the results yield unfortunately predictable results. The sections on active peacemaking are quite good, but the sections on abortion, euthanasia, marriage, and homosexuality provide nothing new apart from the evangelical norm. If the target audience is traditional evangelical Christians, Stassen and Gushee have provided a new step toward really following the teachings of Jesus. In the broader theological conversation, it might be better for theologians to take the idea of the transforming initiative and apply it more creatively and successfully to their own particular context.

"Kingdom Ethics" Transforms Life in the Way of Jesus
In Kingdom Ethics, Glen Stassen (Fuller Seminary) and David Gushee (McAfee School of Theology) provide a Christian ethic rooted in the idea of the Kingdom of God as defined by Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. But this is not a typical treatment of either.

Perhaps the most helpful aspect of their Kingdom perspective is the section on the "Transforming Initiatives of the Sermon on the Mount." The authors present the commonly held views of The Sermon on the Mount, but then move to give new meaning to the Sermon and its application through a new look at the construction of each teaching section.

The heart of their argument is that Jesus's teaching is a tripartite entity, dealing with the problem, the vicious circle caused by the problem, and the transforming Kingdom initiative which places both the problem and those involved in it, in a new light.An example would be:

Traditional Righteousness: Matthew 5:38 -- "You have heard that it was said, `An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'"

Vicious Cycle: Matthew 5:39 -- "But I say to you, do not retaliate vengefully by evil means." (This is the vicious cycle of violence, retaliation, and more violence.)

Transforming Initiative: Matthew 5:40-42 -- "But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if any one wants to sue you and take your coat give your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go the second mile.Give to one who begs from you, and do not refuse one who would borrow from you."

The authors contend that the entire Sermon on the Mount features this pattern of Jesus presenting the traditional view, the vicious cycle that results, and the alternative way of the Kingdom.Rather than the Sermon being an ideal, but unattainable vision or a spiritualized ethic, the Sermon becomes a practical, yet radically different way for the followers of Jesus to live out Kingdom values.

This approach allows a depth of discipleship that previously held views (idealized or spiritualized) of The Sermon deny. One does not have to be perfect to be a follower of Jesus.Following Jesus also can take place in a very real, and gritty world. The individual disciple can apply Jesus teaching in practical, workable ways that will contribute to transforming relationships with people and with God.

But this ethic of transformation based on The Sermon does not apply just to interpersonal relationships. Stassen and Gushee find application in the thorny issues of war, peacemaking, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia, sexuality, gender roles, and biotechnology. Walking, not just a middle way but a transformative way, Kingdom Ethics presents a fresh look at how Christians can apply the teaching of Jesus in ways that are different from either a biblical legalism or a political liberalism. This transformative way often arrives at its application by means of a very different route than previous options.

This fresh look at both the Kingdom and its values avoids the hardline approaches of both liberals and fundamentalists, and offers room for dialogue, appreciation, conversation, and peacemaking between the various hard-fought positions. The entire ethic becomes itself a type of peacemaking instrument, grounded in conviction, but recognizing that God's justice and love must both find expression in God's Kingdom as it is lived out.

This approach deepens the Christian disciple's relationship to God in several ways. It is an approach which takes seriously the Biblical account, but which also brings the accumulated insights and tools of robust scholarly research to the task of interpretation. The authors accord Scripture a prime place, but interpret the texts in light of the life, teaching, and insights of the Living Word, Jesus Christ. This focus on the Lordship of Christ as the interpretive hermeneutic of Scripture grounds the follower of Christ in the real-life example of Jesus.

If you're interested in ethics in light of Jesus' life, this is a book you must have. At almost 500 pages, it's not quick reading (I know because I read it), but will serve as a great ethics resource in any Christian leader's library.

Refreshing and Transformative
I found this book to be an oasis of new thought regarding and old subject; "appropriate conduct."While I did not challenge many of the premises offered by the authors regarding the strict interpretation of the language(s) used in the Bible, I did contemplate and give considerable thought to the ramifications of the suggestions proferred regarding how a believer may conduct themselves toward makind.

Just as the food we eat does not directly impact our genetic tendencies regarding height, weight, skin or eye color, this book is not a "how to be a Christian" treatise.Instead, the authors presume an interest in furthering the personal, spiritual relationship with GOD through a non-judgmental, non-discrimnatory set of core values and beliefs as taught by Jesus Christ himself.Further, anyone who thinks this is a read-it-once-and-move-on book, misses the point.

I recommend this book to every person who is seriously desiring a higher understanding and perspective regarding spirituality and promoting a common good for the sake of goodness.

Plagued with Inaccuracy
This book contains a lot of summary judgement which falls outside the authors' expertise.False emphasis is put on words in the original languge which serve the author's purpose rather than Scripture's.In addition, metaphors and examples often fall dangerously short and are logically flawed.

If required for a class, get it.If not, consider C.S. Lewis. ... Read more

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Moral relativism, terrorism, fundamentalism-it seems the ethical divide in civilization is getting deeper and deeper. If you are concerned but often skittish when it comes to the jargon used in typical ethics books, this book will help. Teach Yourself Ethics explores key ethical theories and thinkers using accessible language and an easy-to-grasp format.

• Explains complex concepts in jargon-free language
• Covers such major thinkers as Marx, Freud, and Machiavelli
• Revised to cover today's most pressing ethical issues

Customer Reviews (3)

Total Clarity
A great book either to dip into or to read cover-to-cover. The sheer clarity and accessibility of the language (and hence of the descriptions of complex concepts) never fails to amaze me. Thompson knows his material inside out. There are gaps, of course. It is, after all, an introductory text. But as I'm researching the otherwise muddled landscape of morality and ethics for a children's series, this book stands out as a beacon of much needed clarity, as well as a refuge to return to when my poor brain is befogged.

Good book, could possibly be better
I bought this book because I have been reading much about philosophy and religion and thought ethics would be a complimentary subject. The book is very similar to listening to a teacher giving a lecture. Because of this, I wouldn't describe this book as a captivating read but I definitely feel like I have gained new knowledge about ethics. I enjoy how the author breaks up the dry information with real-life scenarios.
One thing that frustrates me is the fact that the book is filled with typos. They subtract from the flow of my reading because I have to stop and try to figure out what Thompson is intending to say.

What IS the difference between right and wrong?
I book this book originally for a class at school (Quinsigamond Community College).As I started reading and taking notes, I discovered that it really is a helpful guide to morals and ethics!Well-written and easy to understand, this book gets to the point and will really get you thinking.HIGHLY recommended for any beginning students of philosophy. ... Read more

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This book is a systematic and constructive treatment of a number of traditional issues at the foundations of ethics. These issues concern the objectivity of ethics, the possibility and nature of moral knowledge, the relationship between the moral point of view and a scientific or naturalist world-view, the nature of moral value and obligation, and the role of morality in a person's rational lifeplan.In striking contrast to traditional and more recent work in the field, David Brink offers an integrated defense of the objectivity of ethics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Important Large-Scale Defense of the Objectivity of Ethics
This book defends the objectivity of ethics.Brink argues that there are moral facts, and that these facts are (in some important sense) independent of human thought.He also argues that our moral claims purport to describe such facts, and that we are often successful in doing so.Finally, he argues that moral knowledge is possible, and that we possess a good deal of it.

This is an important book in contemporary meta-ethics since it is the first and only book-length treatise on so-called "Cornell Realism."What is perhaps most distinctive of the Cornell Realists is that they draw on work in recent philosophy of science to argue that we have good reason to believe that moral inquiry is objective in much the same way that scientific inquiry is objective.They also adhere to a battery of views on specific meta-ethical issues, and this helps to distinguish them from other thinkers.At the center of their metaphysics of morality is the view that moral facts and properties are natural, though they cannot be reduced to the properties of physics, biology, chemistry, or any other discipline in the natural sciences.They favor a semantics of moral discourse according to which moral terms cannot be wholly analyzed into the language of other disciplines.They defend a coherentist moral epistemology, and they argue that the Rawlsian method of reflective equilibrium is a discovery procedure employed in both ethics and the sciences.Finally, they defend externalism about motivation and reasons for action.In his book Brink defends all of these positions.

Since there's no point in trying to analyze Brink's arguments in a review of this length, I'll simply try to say something about the overall structure of the book and how it relates to Brink's project.He begins by distinguishing moral realism from its noncognitivist and constructivist competitors, and he argues that many of our common-sense beliefs about moral language and inquiry provide evidence for realism.Brink also argues that, pace certain anti-realists, the choice between realism and anti-realism does have some effect on our normative practices.These conclusions, he thinks, provide some prima facie evidence for moral realism.Unless the anti-realist can show that there is something seriously wrong with realism, there is good reason to accept realism.

Brink then argues that his form of realism can provide a plausible account of morality, and that it isn't undermined by certain well-known objections to realism.He begins by developing his views on moral epistemology and the practical aspects of morality.He then considers some objections to moral realism.The first objection is one based on the is/ought thesis, the thesis that moral statements cannot be derived from non-moral ones.Brink argues that this thesis, even if it is true, does not undermine realism, as this sort of inferential gap is present in other areas as well.This is followed by a chapter on a posteriori objections to moral realism.Most of this chapter is devoted to answering worries about the objectivity of morality that have been developed by J. L. Mackie and Gilbert Harman.He argues that Mackie's argument from queerness fails because moral facts are natural facts and because moral facts don't involve any intrinsic and categorical prescriptivity.In response to Mackie's other argument for anti-realism, the argument from disagreement, he argues that the nonexistence of moral facts isn't clearly the best explanation of the existence and persistence of moral disagreement.Finally, he argues that Harman is wrong to think that moral facts are explanatorily irrelevant.

The virtues of Brink's book are the characteristic virtues of good analytic philosophy.On all of the topics he discusses, Brink's arguments are admirably clear.He's patient in his analysis and criticism of arguments, and he draws on a substantial amount of literature on these topics in formulating his views and distinguishing them from other approaches.Furthermore, he's often willing to point out areas of his argument that might not be especially compelling and that leave room for proponents of views other than the one he prefers.

The book ends with an extended account of the outlines of the sort of teleological normative theory Brink defends as both independently plausible and consistent with his version of moral realism.

This book should be accessible to anyone with some background in meta-ethics, though it seems clearly intended for those who specialize in these areas.The work doesn't presuppose a lot of knowledge of the details of this debate--and Brink is very good at providing an account of the issues, their importance, and other positions before he presents his own views--but the comprehensiveness and intricacy of the book's arguments suggest that its intended audience is those who are students of meta-ethics.

For those studying the realism/anti-realism debate in meta-ethics, this book is essential reading.And for anyone seriously concerned with issues pertaining to the objectivity of morality, I recommend this book as an example of one approach to these issues.

(And one might want to compare this to Russ Shafer-Landau's recent book, Moral Realism:A Defense.That book is similar in scope to Brink's, and it covers much of the same ground.In some ways, Shafer-Landau's book can be seen as an update to Brink's.For, like Brink's book, it includes a comprehensive defense of realism that involves a comparison of realism's virtues with the supposed weaknesses of its most important competitors and an attempt to deal with the most important objections to realism that have been raised by other philosophers.But, while the two agree on quite a bit, Shafer-Landau argues for a form of non-naturalism about moral facts and for a reliabilist account of moral epistemology.)

The best defense of moral realism
I recommend David O.Brink, _Moral Realism and the Foundations of Ethics_ (Cambridge UP, 1989). In my judgment it is the best defense of moral realism. Although it does not deal with religion directly it argues for an objective naturalistic ethics--just what theists say that atheists cannot have.

Michael Martin ... Read more

Product Description
Tradition in the Ethics of Alasdair MacIntyre presents a stimulating intellectual history and expertly reasoned defense of this towering figure in contemporary American philosophy. Drawing on interviews and published works, Christopher Lutz traces MacIntyreOs philosophical development and refutes the criticisms of the major thinkers_including Martha Nussbaum and Thomas Nagel_who have most vocally attacked him. Permanently shifting the debate on MacIntyreOs oeuvre, Lutz convincingly demonstrates how MacIntyreOs neo-Aristotelian ethical thought provides an essential corrective to the contemporary discussions of relativism and ideology, while successfully drawing on the objectivity of Thomistic natural law. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great read
This is a very illuminating work on MacIntyre's moral philosophy.The reader who has no familiarity with this ethicist will find a very clear introduction.Those who are already well-read in MacIntyre will find an interpreter who MacIntyre himself says has written "a splendid and measured exposition of my work and has discussed some major criticisms of it with unusual insight into what is at issue."

I have read every page of this work and find it remarkably lucid and engaging.I appreciate how he laid out the story of MacIntyre's own philsophical development at the beginning and then gave a very clear exposition of "tradition" and "rationality," key terms in MacIntyre's philosophy. Lutz also gives a careful exposition of major objections to MacIntyre's philosophy, i.e., one camp claims that he is relativistic while another argues that he is fideistic.Lutz offers impressive replies to these and other objections.I was especially impressed with how he dealt with Martha Nussbaum.

MacIntyre's thought has gone through many stages of development, from a fideistic Christian Marxist analytic philosopher, atheist Hume scholar, dissatisfied Aristotelian to a Catholic Thomist.If you need a map of this development, you could not do better than to read this work. ... Read more

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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

It'll Make You Think.
There are some very well written chapters in here and some I could have done without but I should think that most people will feel the same. Most likely not about the same chapters but isn't that part of philosophy?
Several of the writers give email addresses where you may get in touch with them & like me, you may want to just to say "but didn't you know?".
Not a quick read, but it should give you a thing or two to think about.

deeply disappointing
The title of this book carries great promise.Indeed,one would think that it would intellectually stimulate any Deadhead.Nevertheless, the book fully fails to satisfy.First, prospective readers should know that the book is #28 in a series of books with similar names -- all are entitled, "_____ and Philosophy." The series includes such books as "Seinfeld and Philosophy" and "The Simpsons and Philosophy."Thus, the book was not premised on any singular belief that the Dead's music or lyrics bear a unique or even special relation to philosophy.It is therefore not surprising that the reader quickly infers that the driving force behind the book simply asked a bunch of Deadhead philosophy professors to somehow try to link the Dead's music to known philosophies.And, the strain of attempting to create such links is apparent in almost every essay published in the book.Surely in many instances these writers simply concoct links and substantial meaning where these do not exist and were not even intended by the Dead (or by contributing lyricist R. Hunter).For sure, the Dead's music is marvelous and heady -- but their body of work was, quite clearly, more artistic and cultural than "philosophical."This book, however well intentioned, cannot overcome its fatally flawed premise and is neither credible nor engaging.Don't be tempted.

Thinkingman's Dead!
This is a wonderful collection of essays from ACTUAL American philosophers and professors who share a loose common bond that is stronger than dirt - they are all Deadheads.Every angle is discussed, from the social contract and economics of the tie-dye sellers in the parking lot to philosophical underpinnings of August West.There is something here for everyone who grew up a Deadhead and longs for those late night dorm-room inspirations ("Dude, WE'RE the cats who are under the stars!") except this time, they make sense, have extensively sourced quotes, and even a couple of footnotes.And this is the real thing - the authors all have deep knowledge of both their philosophical fields, and membership the unique community of Deadheads.One could say there is no overarching GD philosophy, and this book doesn't attempt to posit one.Rather, just as there are a hundred interpretations of Terrapin, this book contains dozens of reflections on the life and times of the Dead, their music, and their legion of fans.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for any Deadhead who sought meaning in the scene and the tunes... and I think that's all of us, really.Makes a great gift![ethical disclosure: I grew up with the book's editor and took him to his first, and several other shows, so I know he's cool.] ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Stoicism: What does it have to offer?
I used this book for a paper I wrote on Stoicism.

Stoicism is a complex philosophical school.However, its ideas have come to be validated by modern psychology.

Everyone in America has to buck up, and not dwell on their problems.They need to realize that they do not need love, sex, money or friendship.The only thing you need is virtue.We need to stop whining about fairness; and try our best to be good people.These are some things Stoicism has to offer.

What is stoicism
It is form of christianity ... Read more

Product Description
Now in its fourth edition, Louis P. Pojman and Lewis Vaughn's acclaimed The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature brings together an extensive and varied collection of eighty-five classical and contemporary readings on ethical theory and practice. Integrating literature with philosophy in an innovative way, the book uses literary works to enliven and make concrete the ethical theory or applied issues addressed. Literary works by Angelou, Camus, Hawthorne, Huxley, Ibsen, Le Guin, Melville, Orwell, Styron, Tolstoy, and many others lead students into such philosophical concepts and issues as relativism; utilitarianism; virtue ethics; the meaning of life; freedom and autonomy; sex, love, and marriage; animal rights; and terrorism. These topics are developed further through readings by philosophers including Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Singer, Sartre, Nagel, and Thomson. This unique anthology emphasizes the personal dimension of ethics, which is often ignored or minimized in ethics texts. It also incorporates chapter introductions, study questions, suggestions for further reading, and biographical sketches of the writers.

The fourth edition features five new readings--by James Rachels, Alasdair MacIntyre, Michael Levin, John Corvino, and Stephen Nathanson--and a new appendix on how to write a philosophy paper. A new Companion Website features resources for both students and instructors including reading summaries; true/false, multiple-choice, and essay questions; and PowerPoint slides. Ideal for introductory ethics courses, The Moral Life, Fourth Edition, also provides an engaging gateway into personal and social ethics for general readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Moral Life book.
Loved this book. Got it for a college course so we only went through parts of it. I put it aside for personal reading I loved it so much...

The Moral Life:
This book was supposed to be in good condition, well it was far from good, I would have said fair condition, and way more than gently used. The cost that was saved from new to used was not significant.I have purchased used books with a rating that was similar but the condition was excellent almsot new.So always buyer beware.

Great Blend of Philosophy and Literature
I've used various editions of this text over a six-year period and found them excellent--a nice blend of theory and (literary) experience.To borrow from Kant, "Theory without experience is empty; experience without theory is blind."Some of the reviews below illustrate why ethics (and philosophy generally) so desperately needs to be studied.Muddleheadedness is (frequently) a curable disease.Pojman is part of the cure, not the illness.

A great introductory reader...just draw your own conclusions
I felt compelled to write this review after seeing certain things in other reviews which attack the character of this man, rather than the quality of the passages contained in the text. I hope that this review will educate individuals about the text, as well as the passages contained in the text.

Firstly i take issue with this personal attack on Pojman.Yes, I disagree with 99% percent of what this man believes on issues concerning morality, but I don't think attacking his character is a fair way to review his text.Secondly, many people, including my fellow students, felt as though Pojman presented his opinions in a fundamentalist light, which would certainly follow because of his own beliefs.Though there are certainly shades of fundamentalism and even neo-conservatism in this book, is that necessarily a bad thing?

The purpose of this book was to present ethics in as many ways as possible.Though there does seem to be an proportionately large amount of material in here that most postmodern, existential, utilitarian, conflict theorist, etc... would disagree with.It is important for a college student in an intro to ethics class to be exposed to different points of view, even if they aren't popular.

And all the popular points are certainly there as well.Nietzsche, Mill, Dostoevsky, Hobbes.Certainly this book could have been more comprehensive and presented in a more relative light (as Pojman will show favoritism in painfully obvious ways) but hey, as far as intro to ethics books go this is about as good as it gets.Most level-headed college students that walk into a class that uses this book will walk out remembering the classic texts, and not the obscurities carefully selected by Pojman.

There is a great cross-section of selections here that will undoubtedly upon the mind of any college student. I highly recommend this book, just be careful and draw your own conclusions.

Note to professors:Please teach this class carefully, as if you strictly assign material and do not go over it in a comprehensive manner, students may walk away with nothing more than the opinions of an inferior ethicist.Still you could do much worse than this book.

Confused
I had to buy this book for a philosophy class. I do not like this book. I think that for an lower level philosophy course, there is not enough explaination from the author. ... Read more

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This collection of original essays on the ethical and legal implications of humanitarian military intervention presents a variety of normative perspectives. It considers topics such as the just-war theory and its limits, secession and international law, and new approaches toward the moral adequacy of intervention. Written by well-known contemporary philosophers, the essays form a challenging and timely volume that will interest political philosophers and theorists, readers in law and international relations, and anyone concerned with the moral dimensions of international affairs. ... Read more

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Quite a guide
As all the books suggested by Chris Brown on the subject, a very useful guide. ... Read more

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This magisterial work is the first comprehensive study of the ethics of killing, where the moral status of the individual killed is uncertain. Drawing on philosophical notions of personal identity and the immorality of killing, McMahan looks carefully at a host of practical issues, including abortion, infanticide, the killing of animals, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The best on the subject
This is simply the best and most comprehensive book on the topic of killing within applied ethics. The work is well written and covers a tremendous amount of ground on the different arguments related to the ethics of killing both historically and in the contemporary literature. Philosophical issues associated with abortion, euthanasia, theories of death, the soul, harm, are all covered. McMahan gives clear expositions of arguments that have been so far advocated from all sides of the issue in philosophy and medical ethics on when and why killing is wrong and precedes to offer his own analysis and conclusions. Even if you do not agree with McMahan on his conclusions, you will likely find where the contemporary and historical philosophical setting takes place.

I especially thought impressive McMahan's breadth of knowledge in relevant philosophical and medical topics associated with the main topics such as personal identity, the philosophy of mind, human biological development, moral responsibility, the physiology of death and many other relevant topics. For example, before we know if a killing of a person is wrong, we need to know what a person is to analyse when killings of persons occur. This topic is an issue for personal identity. What are persons? Are they biological organisms? Their brains? Some immaterial soul substance? The book explores in detail all such related topics in depth.

The book's subtitle, "Problems at the Margins of Life" hints that the book covers the ethical issues of these kinds of killing: abortion, of animals, and euthanasia. The book is meant to be the first of a series on killing, later books will cover the ethics of killing in war and in self-defense.

Well Written, Even For Those That May Disagree
Spoiler: The Ethics of Killing does find some abortion to be acceptable. This is probably the basis of most mainstream(i.e. simple) criticism of this work.

However, even for someone that disagrees with some of Jeff McMahan's positions, the Ethics of Killing is well written, and helps the reader, both professionals as well as students, gain a deeper, physical and metaphysical conception of what is wrong with killing. The writing style uses many examples that appeal to intuition, both positively and negatively, and appeals to which are used by McMahan to make sensible arguments.

This work, intended as the first part of a two part series on Killing, attempts to find exactly what is morally wrong with killing. One answer that is dealt with is what exactly is morally wrong with ending a life. McMahan attempts to resolve such fundamental questions by starting with a notable focus on identity. In identifying what is essentially 'us' as embodied minds, and not something simply biological, McMahan opens new considerations by which to explore the ethical issues in killing. Ultimately, McMahan succeeds in providing a well written examination, that, while can be questioned, must be taken seriously.

a good book with good arguments
This book is worth to buy. There are many good arguments inside and provides a good resource for philosophical research. Although it is not easy to read, it is truely helpful to clarify the problems of killing, letting die, the nature of a person, personal identity and moral concerns on embryos. This is really a good book in moral philosophy and metaphysics.

Analytic Approach to Issue Relating to Killing and Death
Prof. Jeff McMahan is a sine qua non of applied ethics -- which is further established by this rigorous, incisive book. Couched firmly in the analytic traditional, he meticulously teases apart issues in applied philosophy relating to death, while connecting them to undergirding normative and metaphysical theory.

He also writes clearly, resorting to jargon as little as possible. As a result, the book is accessible to many, in spite of the sophistication of its arguments, which makes it ideal at the graduate-level. As a grad student in Philosophy, I highly recommend "The Ethics of Killing".

The only negative aspect is that, because the book combined breadth with depth, there were parts where it seemed as if he had to pull back. (I have in mind parts having to do with personal identity -- which is a topic clearly worthy of multiple volumes itself). But I guess this is to be expected of a book this ambitious.

Fascism reincarnated
Used this text for contemporary ethics class.
It is obviously methodologically naturalistic work.
It throws away any theistic views that elevate human being above animals, and destroys notion of 'sanctity of human life'.
generally speaking, Fascism reincarnated, period.
While it does not build Fascism, it paves the road for it to come, by destroying 'old' values and introducing 'new' ones.
If you like reading Peter Singer, you'll like this book.
If not, then you'll join me in criticism.

See, I predicted the future. :D
Most reviews will be diabolically opposed. ... Read more