101 Ethical Dilemmas [Paperback]

Martin Cohen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415261279 | ISBN-13: 978-0415261272 | Publication Date: July 20, 2003

Will meat eaters get into heaven? Do trees have rights? Is it ever right to 'design' a baby? From overcrowded lifeboats to the censor's pen, Martin Cohen's stimulating and amusing dilemmas will have you scratching your head and laughing out loud in equal measure. Whatever your background, there is a dilemma for you. There are the DIY babies and the breeding experiements from medicine; an ethically dubious chemical factory Business ethics; the 'School of Terror' from world affairs and the 'Twinkies courtroom drama' from law. In this book, you'll find dilemmas in the shape of beautiful and ugly sisters, frog kings, ancient volcanic islands and exotic villages. This book won't help you become a good person, but at least you will have thought about it...

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The book starts with the warning that it is not a guidebook for ethical living. What it does do is plant hundreds of more ethical questions in your mind, fulfilling its role as a light hearted, lively introduction to the subject of ethical philosophy. It may not make you a better person or resolve all your problems, but it's a great work out for your brain!' - Get Ethical.com

This book has proved to be invaluable in a pilot project promoting Philosophy and discussion activities in our school. We use this book twice a week as the basis of group discussions of ethical issues, and it is a great success...There is something here for students and people of all ages. I heartily recommend this book, as well as [Martin Cohen's] previous one, which we have enjoyed equally. - Michael Brett, Head of Philosophy, Lochinver School

'101 Ethical Dilemmas... is a chatty, jokey journey through philosophical dilemmas ancient and modern... the philosophy is the real thing.' - New Scientist

'The logical positivists might have called ethics gobbledegook, but it is well and truly on the menu here in 101 courses' - Age

'101 Ethical Dilemmas is the natural sequal to [101 Philosophy Problems] that wonderful book...it's entertainment that trains you to think more intelligently about discerning right and wrong and about how you choose to act.' - Fish.co.uk

'101 Ethical Dilemmas is a well-structured book which raises many of the ethical issues of today's world.' - Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen, The Australian Jewish News

'Martin Cohen does a good job of weaving some intriguing stories and classic philosophical ideas and arguments into the discussions.' - James Ladyman, senior lecturer in philosophy, Bristol University, The Times Higher Education Supplement

'... Cohen does a good job in weaving some intriguing stories and classic philosophical ideas'
- James Ladyman, Times Higher Education Supplement

 

About the Author

Martin Cohen is currently working as a researcher at the College of St. Mark and St. John in Plymouth. He is the author of 101 Philosophy Problems, 2nd edition (2002) published by Routledge.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (July 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415261279
• ISBN-13: 978-0415261272
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,799,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

This is me in front of my Normandy 'weekend' house, with my faithful companion, 'Snuffler', a keen rabbiter. I hate mowing the lawn, so I had gravel put down instead ;-9 (That's why Snuffler looks a bit puzzled in the photo...) Good for landing the helicopter too!

I used to work in Higher Edukation, but after the unexpected and phenomenal success of the 101 Problems (two and a half million problems sold/ many more solved) I became a 'famous author' instead. And what a life it is! Yachts, dinner parties, foreign trips with plenty of occasions to speak down to people - I love it!

ps. Very little of this is true. But then the point of books is to 'transcend' both this world - and their authors.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars perfect toilet-reading, September 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: 101 Ethical Dilemmas (Paperback)

The only time I ever decided to write a piece of fan mail it was to the author of a philosophy book. There. Now you know the full depth of my sadness, but I know you will accept me as I am.

The book was 101 Philosophy Problems by Martin Cohen. It was full of such puzzles as if an object can only ever be in one place at one time, how anything can be moving? Or if you replace every component of a ship piece by piece, at what point does it become a different ship?

At the end you got all Cohen's own thoughts on the questions, always thought-provoking, funny and iconoclastic about the whole business of philosophy.. Apart from anything, it's the most perfect toilet-reading I know.

The brilliant thing about it was that, while so many other philosophy books make your brian shut down after 3 pages , leaving you feeling baffled and stupid Cohen simply got you thinking for yourself. He made it all so lucid, comprehensible and fun, you felt all the other philosophy writers must be charlatans, blinding yo with gobbledegook to make themselves feel clever.

Another great value of the book is that Cohen is committed to the ancient but now somewhat eccentric idea that philosophy should not just be abstract conundrums but should equip us to live better lives.

101 Ethical Dilemmas is the natural sequel to that wonderful book, and as the title suggests it focuses more specifically on ... well, work ti tout for yourself.

Many of the issues Cohen invites us to grapple with here are pressing concerns in modern life. He deals with civil disorder against evil corporations, internet shopping, designer babies, job applications, 'collateral' damage', war against tyrants, cinematic sex, CCTV surveillance, US state terrorism, the abolition of poverty and the wisdom of George W. Bush.

In amid this are al the nuts-and-bolts issues. Can the end justify the means? Is it right to lie when the truth will hurt? Do we only behave decently because of social restraints? Do we judge right and wrong with our feelings or reason? Why, if at all, should humans be treated from other animals? Are good intentions more important than good results?

Cohen also casts an ethically critical eye over the parables of Jesus, as well as the teachings of Buddha and various Church fathers.

This book is rather harder work than its beloved predecessor. As if making a concerted effort to educate as well as inspire us, Cohen includes many passages from the great philosophers. Consequently, this second 101 is twice as long as the first.

Sometimes he weaves the quotations into dialogue, or, for example turns a long extract from Descartes into a lecture given while he dissects a live chimpanzee. Creative, certainly, but it can actually make the philosophy all the harder to follow.

Likewise the playfulness of Cohen's questions can sometimes leave you wondering what he's actually getting at.

Above all though, its great to have some of this stuff. It's entertainment that trains you to think more intelligently about discerning right and wrong and about how you choose to act. God knows, in 2003 we need that.

If you're interested, get the first book first (unless you have a particular reason to prefer 'ethics' to 'philosophy') There'll be plenty of time to graduate to the other one when you're smitten, and write fan mail.

I never did write that letter, in the end. But then neither has the book ever left my toilet side.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important and easy, lively introduction, November 3, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 101 Ethical Dilemmas (Paperback)

The second updated edition of the classic 101 Ethical Dilemmas provides both high school and college-level audiences an engaging discussion offering eleven new ethical dilemmas for consideration. The examples offer a range of dilemmas from a variety of fields, from business and legal conflicts to medical worlds, and consider issues of justice, ethics, and good practice. An important and easy, lively introduction to the field of ethics will prove solid classroom debate material and accessible to a range of newcomers to the topic, and lay readers.

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining intro to ethics, March 27, 2011

By 

juifenasie "laomaa2001" (Hukou Hsiang, Hsinchu, Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 101 Ethical Dilemmas (Paperback)

Mr Cohen has created a highly entertaining introduction to ethics. After flipping through the first twenty pages in the library, I considered using this book as a reading and discussion text for advanced EFL students. However, I changed my mind when I examined the glossary. I was very surprised to find that the extremely rich field of Jewish ethics was not worth a direct mention (unless I missed a line somewhere) and Christian ethics is only mentioned in passing (mostly negative). The concise ten page glossary provides a useful summary of many ethical concepts and thinkers. What is hard to believe is that an entire page in this small glossary is devoted to praise for the contribution of Islam and Islamic ethics (but nothing whatsoever about taqiyya, kitman, kuffar, jizya and dhimmis). Here is an ethical thinker who is willing to dish out well-deserved criticism of American policy, but is unaware of how blind he is to his own ethical heritage (Readers eager to read anecdotes reflecting the Jewish take on ethics would be well-served by reading A Code of Jewish Ethics: Volume 1: You Shall Be Holy & A Code of Jewish Ethics, Volume 2: Love Your Neighbor as Yourself). Despite the flaws of 101 Ethical Dilemmas, I would still give this book four stars for its entertainment value and a recommendation for a beginner's bookshelf.