Preface | p. xi |
A Word to the Student: Why Study Moral Philosophy? | p. xvii |
Introduction: What Is Ethics? | p. 1 |
Morality as Compared with Other Normative Subjects | p. 3 |
Traits of Moral Principles | p. 6 |
Domains of Ethical Assessment | p. 9 |
Why Do We Need Morality? | p. 12 |
The Purposes of Morality | p. 16 |
Conclusion | p. 18 |
For Further Reflection | p. 20 |
For Further Reading | p. 23 |
Ethical Relativism: Who's to Judge What's Right and Wrong? | p. 24 |
An Analysis of Relativism | p. 26 |
Subjective Ethical Relativism (Subjectivism) | p. 28 |
Conventional Ethical Relativism (Conventionalism) | p. 31 |
A Critique of Ethical Relativism | p. 35 |
Conclusion | p. 38 |
For Further Reflection | p. 39 |
For Further Reading | p. 41 |
The Case for Moral Objectivism | p. 42 |
Natural Law | p. 43 |
Moderate Objectivism | p. 49 |
An Explanation of the Attraction of Ethical Relativism | p. 54 |
Conclusion | p. 57 |
For Further Reflection | p. 58 |
For Further Reading | p. 59 |
Value: The Quest for the Good | p. 61 |
What Types of Value Are There? | p. 63 |
What Things Are Good? | p. 65 |
Are Values Objective or Subjective? | p. 69 |
What Is the Relation of Value to Morality? | p. 71 |
What Is the Good Life? | p. 74 |
For Further Reflection | p. 79 |
For Further Reading | p. 80 |
Egoism, Self-Interest, and Altruism | p. 81 |
An Overview of the Problem | p. 81 |
Psychological Egoism | p. 84 |
Ethical Egoism | p. 89 |
A Critique of Ethical Egoism | p. 92 |
Attempted Refutations of Egoism | p. 94 |
Evolution and Altruism | p. 96 |
Egoism and the Problem of Posterity | p. 99 |
Conclusion | p. 100 |
For Further Reflection | p. 101 |
For Further Reading | p. 102 |
Utilitarianism | p. 104 |
What Is Utilitarianism? | p. 107 |
Two Types of Utilitarianism | p. 111 |
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism | p. 115 |
External Criticisms of Utilitarianism | p. 118 |
Utilitarian Responses to Standard Objections | p. 121 |
The Problem of Posterity | p. 126 |
Conclusion | p. 128 |
For Further Reflection | p. 130 |
For Further Reading | p. 132 |
Kantian and Deontological Systems | p. 134 |
Two Types of Deontological Systems | p. 134 |
Kant's Rule-Deontological System | p. 138 |
The Categorical Imperative | p. 141 |
Kant's Other Formulations of the Categorical Imperative | p. 149 |
Kant's Ethics and Religion | p. 153 |
A Reconciliation Project | p. 154 |
For Further Reflection | p. 157 |
For Further Reading | p. 158 |
Virtue-Based Ethical Systems | p. 159 |
The Aretaic Critique of Action-Based (Deontic) Ethical Systems | p. 160 |
The Nature of Virtue Ethics | p. 164 |
Types of Relationships between Virtue Ethics and Action Ethics | p. 169 |
Conclusion | p. 177 |
For Further Reflection | p. 180 |
For Further Reading | p. 180 |
Why Should I Be Moral? | p. 182 |
The Paradox of Morality and Self-Interest | p. 186 |
For Further Reflection | p. 192 |
For Further Reading | p. 193 |
Religion and Ethics | p. 194 |
Does Morality Depend on Religion? | p. 195 |
Is Religious Ethics Essentially Different from Secular Ethics? | p. 199 |
Is Religion Irrelevant or Even Inimical to Morality? | p. 200 |
Does Religion Enhance the Moral Life? | p. 203 |
Conclusion | p. 207 |
For Further Reflection | p. 209 |
For Further Reading | p. 210 |
The Fact-Value Problem: Metaethics in the 20th century | p. 211 |
Nonnaturalism | p. 213 |
Emotivism | p. 217 |
Prescriptivism | p. 222 |
The Renaissance of Naturalism | p. 232 |
Conclusion | p. 235 |
For Further Reflection | p. 237 |
For Further Reading | p. 238 |
Moral Realism and the Challenge of Skepticism | p. 239 |
Mackie's Error Theory of Morality | p. 242 |
Harman's Moral Nihilism | p. 246 |
Conclusion | p. 251 |
For Further Reflection | p. 253 |
For Further Reading | p. 253 |
A Concluding Reflection: Minimal Morality, Virtue Ethics, and the Development of Character | p. 255 |
An Analysis of the Modified Divine Command Theory | p. 261 |
A Critique of the Modified Divine Command Theory | p. 263 |
How to Read and Write a Philosophy Paper | p. 267 |
Suggestions for Reading a Philosophy Text | p. 268 |
Suggestions for Writing a Philosophy Paper | p. 269 |
Glossary | p. 271 |
Index | p. 279 |
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