The Fundamentals of Ethics

Preface
New to the Sixth Edition
Instructor's Manual and Companion Website
A Note on the Companion Volume
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
PART one
The Good Life
Chapter 1: Hedonism: Its Powerful Appeal
CHAPTER 2: Is Happiness All That Matters?
CHAPTER 3
Getting What You Want
A Variety of Good Lives
Personal Authority
Avoiding Objective Values
Motivation
Justifying the Pursuit of Self-Interest
Knowledge of the Good
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 4
Problems for the Desire Theory
Getting What You Want May Not Be Necessary for Promoting Your Good
Getting What You Want May Not Be Sufficient for Promoting Your Good
Desires Based on False Beliefs
Disinterested and Other-Regarding Desires
Disappointment
Ignorance of Desire Satisfaction
Impoverished Desires
The Paradox of Self-Harm and Self-Sacrifice
The Fallibility of Our Deepest Desires
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Cases for Critical Reflection
PART two
Normative Ethics: Doing the Right Thing
CHAPTER 5
Morality and Religion First Assumption: Religious Belief Is Needed for Moral Motivation
Second Assumption: Moral Conduct Is Rational only if God Exists
Third Assumption: God Is the Creator of Morality
Fourth Assumption: Religion Is an Essential Source of Moral Guidance
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 6
Natural Law
The Theory and Its Attractions
Three Conceptions of Human Nature
Human Nature as Animal Nature
Human Nature Is What Is Innate
Human Nature Is What All Humans Have in Common
Natural Purposes
The Argument from Humanity
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Cases for Critical Reflection
CHAPTER 7
Psychological Egoism
Egoism and Altruism
Does It Matter Whether Psychological Egoism Is True?
The Argument from Our Strongest Desires
The Argument from Expected Benefit
Two Egoistic Strategies
Appealing to the Guilty Conscience
Expanding the Realm of Self-Interest
Letting the Evidence Decide
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 8
Ethical Egoism
Why Be Moral?
Two Popular Arguments for Ethical Egoism
The Self-Reliance Argument
The Libertarian Argument
The Best Argument for Ethical Egoism
Three Problems for Ethical Egoism
Egoism Violates Core Moral Beliefs
Egoism Cannot Allow for the Existence of Moral Rights
Egoism Arbitrarily Makes My Interests All-Important
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Cases for Critical Reflection
CHAPTER 9
Consequentialism: Its Nature and Attractions
The Nature of Consequentialism
Its Structure
Maximizing Goodness
Moral Knowledge
Actual Versus Expected Results
Assessing Actions and Intentions
The Attractions of Utilitarianism
Impartiality
The Ability to Justify Conventional Moral Wisdom
Conflict Resolution
Moral Flexibility
The Scope of the Moral Community
Slippery Slope Arguments
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 10
Consequentialism: Its Difficulties
Measuring Well-Being
Utilitarianism Is Very Demanding
Deliberation
Motivation
Action
Impartiality
No Intrinsic Wrongness (or Rightness)
The Problem of Injustice
Potential Solutions to the Problem of Injustice
Justice Is Also Intrinsically Valuable
Injustice Is Never Optimific
Justice Must Sometimes Be Sacrificed
Rule Consequentialism
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Cases for Critical Reflection
CHAPTER 11
The Kantian Perspective: Fairness and Justice
Consistency and Fairness
The Principle of Universalizability
Morality and Rationality
Assessing the Principle of Universalizability
Integrity
Kant on Absolute Moral Duties
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 12
The Kantian Perspective: Autonomy, Free Will, and Respect
The Principle of Humanity
The Importance of Rationality and Autonomy
The Problem of Free Will
Four Problems with the Principle of Humanity
Vagueness
Determining Just Deserts
Moral Luck The Scope of the Moral Community
The Good Will and Moral Worth
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Cases for Critical Reflection
CHAPTER 13
The Social Contract Tradition: The Theory and Its Attractions
The Lure of Proceduralism
The Background of the Social Contract Theory
The Prisoner's Dilemma
Cooperation and the State of Nature
The Advantages of Contractarianism
Morality Is Essentially a Social Phenomenon
Contractarianism Explains and Justifies the Content of the Basic Moral Rules
Contractarianism Offers a Method for Justifying Every Moral Rule
Contractarianism Explains the Objectivity of Morality
Contractarianism Explains Why It Is Sometimes Acceptable to Break the Moral Rules
More Advantages: Morality and the Law
Contractarianism Justifies a Basic Moral Duty to Obey the Law
The Contractarian Justification of Legal Punishment
Contractarianism Justifies the State's Role in Criminal Law
Contractarianism and Civil Disobedience
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 14
The Social Contract Tradition: Problems and Prospects
Why Be Moral?
The Role of Consent
Disagreement among the Contractors
The Scope of the Moral Community
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Cases for Critical Reflection
CHAPTER 15
Moral Absolutism
Is Torture Always Immoral?
Preventing Catastrophes
The Doctrine of Double Effect
A Reply to the Argument from Disaster Prevention
How the DDE Threatens Act Consequentialism
Distinguishing Intention from Foresight
Moral Conflict and Contradiction
Is Moral Absolutism Irrational?
The Doctrine of Doing and Allowing
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Cases for Critical Reflection
CHAPTER 16
Prima Facie Duties and Ethical Particularism
Ross's Ethic of Prima Facie Duties
The Advantages of Ross's View
There are Many Fundamental Moral ConsiderationsWe Are Sometimes Permitted to Break the Moral Rules
Moral Conflict
Moral Regret
Addressing the Anti-absolutist Arguments
A Problem for Ross's View
The Appeal to Self-Evidence
Self-Evidence and the Testing of Moral Theories
Knowing the Right Thing to Do
Ethical Particularism
Three Problems for Ethical Particularism
Its Lack of Unity
Accounting for Moral Knowledge
Some Things Possess Permanent Moral Importance
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Cases for Critical Reflection
CHAPTER 17
Virtue Ethics
The Standard of Right Action
Moral Complexity
Moral Understanding
Moral Education
The Nature of Virtue
Virtue and the Good Life
Objections
Tragic Dilemmas
Does Virtue Ethics Offer Adequate Moral Guidance?
Is Virtue Ethics Too Demanding?
Who Are the Moral Role Models?
Conflict and Contradiction
The Priority Problem
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Cases for Critical Reflection
CHAPTER 18
Feminist Ethics
The Elements of Feminist Ethics
Moral Development
Women's Experience
The Ethics of Care
The Importance of Emotions
Against Unification
Against Impartiality and Abstraction
Against Competition
Downplaying Rights
Challenges for Feminist Ethics
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Cases for Critical Reflection
PART three
Metaethics: The Status of Morality
CHAPTER 19
Ethical Relativism
Doubts about Objective Morality
Two Kinds of Ethical Relativism-And Their Attractions
Some Implications of Ethical Subjectivism and Cultural Relativism
Moral Infallibility
Moral Equivalence
Questioning Our Own Commitments
Moral Progress
Ethical Subjectivism and the Problem of Contradiction
Cultural Relativism and the Problem of Contradiction
Ideal Observers
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 20
Moral Nihilism
Error Theory
The Theory and Its Attractions
Two Mistaken Objections
Expressivism
The Theory and Its Attractions
How Is It Possible to Argue Logically about Morality?
Expressivism and Amoralists
The Nature of Moral Judgment
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 21
Ethical ObjectivismThe Theory and Its Attractions
Ten Arguments against Ethical Objectivism
Objectivity Requires Absolutism
All Truth Is Subjective
Equal Rights Imply Equal Plausibility
Moral Objectivity Supports Dogmatism
Moral Objectivity Supports Intolerance
Moral Objectivity Cannot Allow for Legitimate Cultural Variation
Moral Disagreement Undermines Moral Objectivity
Atheism Undermines Moral Objectivity
The Absence of Categorical Reasons Undermines Moral Objectivity
Values Have No Place in a Scientific World
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 22
Is Moral Knowledge Possible? Five Skeptical Arguments
The Skeptical Argument from Disagreement
Certainty
Who's to Say?
Irrelevant Influences
Hume's Argument Conclusion
References?R-1
Suggestions for Further Rea
ding?FR-1
Glossary?G-1
Index?I-1