Product Description

Firmly established as the standard text for undergraduate courses in ethics, this concise, lively book takes the reader on an in-depth tour of the major moral theories, always illustrating abstract ideas with concrete examples. Separate, self-contained chapters examine such theories as Egoism, Kantianism, Utilitarianism, Virtue Ethics, and the Social Contract Theory. Through this conceptual framework, the text addresses timely and provocative issues, including abortion, racism, euthanasia, poverty, marijuana, homosexuality, the death penalty, and vegetarianism. The text's versatility makes it an ideal choice for use not only in ethical theory courses, but also in applied ethics courses of all kinds.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #189777 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From the Publisher
A new chapter 12 on feminist philosophy
New sections include: Baby Theresa and Tracy Latimer (chapter 1), Judging a Cultural Practice to Be Immoral (see Chapter 2), Are There Proofs in Ethics? (see Chapter 3), and whether utilitarianism is too demanding (Chapter 8).
A rewritten section on Natural Law to include a fuller description of Aristotle's world-view with a discussion of Aristotle's world view versus modern science (chapter 4)
A smoother introduction to chapter 11 with The Prisoner's Dilemma described more clearly.
Concise and inexpensive
A lucid, lively introduction of the major philosophical theories of morality and one acknowledged for its clarity in explaining ethical theory to students
Explains why each theory has been accepted by some thinkers but rejected by others
Important current issues such as abortion, euthanasia, the treatment of non-human animals, and famine relief are discussed in depth to illustrate the theories, and to reveal their implications.
Also widely used in Biomedical Ethics and Business Ethics courses as a brief, affordable text for the ethical theory portion of those courses.

About the Author
James Rachels is University Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alabama at Birminghamand is widely respected in the field of moral philosophy. He is also the author of THE END OF LIFE: Euthanasia and Morality and CREATED FROM ANIMALS: The Moral Implications of Darwinism.

Customer Reviews

A perfect introduction to contemporary moral thinking.
Morals are, as Rachels quotes Socrates: "No small matter, but how we ought to live." The Elements of Moral Philosophy is a useful introduction to this vast and varied subject because it introduces you to the many different views without ever being glib or shallow, but always with descriptive examples ('An infant with no prospects', 'the question of homosexuality' and the case of the enquiring murderer) that encourage you to develop your ideas, access their validity and to then apply them. This is further helped to break down complex arguments into their main points, clearly set out and discussed. Each of the chapters deals with either one of the major moral philosophical schools or a particular idea and can be read almost as essays on those topics. However, that said, the chapters are neatly set out and logical and easy to read and understand throughout. This is a perfect introductory text for those just starting out and an excellant reference book on the subject of moral philosophy at higher levels.

Excellent introduction to the basics
I read Rachels' text for a college course. Though I was somewhat familiar with the concepts therein, I found it to be a great source for the basics of modern western philosophy. Chapters cover egoism, utilitarianism, Kant's Categorical Imperative, religious morality and other well known philosophies.

An excellent first philosophy book. I find it hard to discuss certain things with people if they are not at least peripherally familiar with the concepts in this book. Highly recommended as a first text.

An easy to read introduction to moral thought.
If you're looking for an easy to read introduction to moral thought, then look no further. This book can easily be finished in just a few sittings and remains interesting and thoughtful throughout. My only dislike is the author's attempt to formulate his own 'Philosophy Without Hubris' theory, in which I find many inconsistencies. Still, this is only done in the last chapter and gives the reader a chance to perorm a critical evaluation. For those about to delve into the tumultuous world of moral thought, I highly recommend this book. However, if you're already familiar with the basics, you should probably investigate other titles.