In this volume, some of today's most distinguished philosophers survey the whole field of ethics, from its origins, through the great ethical traditions, to theories of how we ought to live, arguments about specific ethical issues, and the nature of ethics itself. The book can be read straight through from beginning to end; yet the inclusion of a multi-layered index, coupled with a descriptive outline of contents and bibliographies of relevant literature, means that the volume also serves as a work of reference, both for those coming afresh to the study of ethics and for readers already familiar with the subject.
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Editorial Reviews
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"A Companion to Ethics will provide an invaluable stimulus for anyone interested in ethics -- which is to say it will benefit anyone interested in the central questions of human life." David Seehouse, University of Liverpool; BMJ
"Peter Singer has directed this book very expertly. The contributors have set forth the facts about ethical systems with as much kind clarity as specialists can ever bestow upon the ignorant." The Independent
"A brilliant collection of articles." Pat Haggard, New Scientist
From the Back Cover
In this volume, some of today's most distinguished philosophers survey the whole field of ethics, from its origins, through the great ethical traditions, to theories of how we ought to live, arguments about specific ethical issues, and the nature of ethics itself. The book can be read straight through from beginning to end; yet the inclusion of a multi-layered index, coupled with a descriptive outline of contents and bibliographies of relevant literature, means that the volume also serves as a work of reference, both for those coming afresh to the study of ethics and for readers already familiar with the subject.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great introduction, some defects,
This review is from: A Companion to Ethics (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) (Paperback)
I found this book to be a great introduction to all aspects of ethics. It leaves no area untouched: everything from Buddhist ethics to deontology, consequentialism, virtue theory, the nature of morality, and much much more is covered here. Indeed, I would say that anyone who wants a survey of this area of philosophy need look no further.But the book has several glaring flaws. Notably, it appears that some of the choices of essays were slightly biased. A case in point: the two essays on comtemporary deontology and consequentialism. The essay on deontology appears to not be written by an actual deontologist, and the author spent most of the essay bringing up silly objections that even I, as a first year undergraduate philosophy major, could answer. This is in stark contrast to the essay on consequentialism, written in a tone that barely escapes arrogance by its end. There is nothing wrong with having a die-hard supporter of consequentialism write an essay introducing people to the topic. If this book were better, all of the essays would've been written with just that goal in mind. To pick essays not written by people who actually subscribe to the ethical theory in question is simply poor editing, because often the writer reveals her ignorance. This reduces the quality of the book, instead of giving each ethical theory the best possible promulgation. Indeed, it's not as if deontology is so unpopular that Singer couldn't have found one to write about it. If anything, a better choice of essays would've made this book more useful than it actually is. Indeed, one of the interesting things about the essay on "universal perscriptivism" by R.M. Hare, was that the table of contents actually claims that the article is written by the theory's originator and best spokesman. If all the essays were written by their respective theory's "best spokesman," than this book would have 5 stars. Apart from these glaring flaws, the book remains a well edited companion to ethics. There is coverage (even if sometimes poor) given to almost every possible ethical theory, the history of ethics, applied ethics (just war, business ethics, etc.), and various ethical views (i.e., realism, naturalism, relativism, etc.). Anyone interested in a breif overview of the entire field of morality should start here.
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My review is a single-sentence one.,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Companion to Ethics (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) (Paperback)
The selection of the articles in this book is excellent: not too deep in any of the subjects and gives a wide range overlook on the field of ethics, I read it with eas and joy.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Overview of Normative Ethics,
By Dr. D. E. McClean (Dix Hills, New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Companion to Ethics (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) (Paperback)
I have used this text to teach ethics several times, and I will continue to do so. It has concise and clear articles by leading philosophers on a wide range of subjects, from the evolution and anthropology of ethics, to the various ethical theories, to meta-ethics and topics in ethics. Not only do I use it to teach, I use it as a quick handbook and reference when I need to refresh myself about specific arguments and ideas in ethics.
I hope that Peter Singer will bring a new edition to market sooner rather than later. But even if he does not, the current edition will continue to hold-up well. And even where one prefers to assign (primarily) primary texts to one's students in introductory ethics, this volume can be precisely what its title suggests - a great companion.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
WHERE does ethics come from? Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
simple subjectivism, impartial contractors, deontological constraints, other social creatures, evolutionary ethicist, universal prescriptivism, shi fei, equal opportunity principle, normative relativism, basic moral rights, ethical subjectivism, constitutive attributes, ontological autonomy, deontological views, fundamental relativity, female ethic, moral considerability, ecological holism, semantic autonomy, intentional termination, equal moral status, divine command theory, moral facts, prima facie duties, rational egoism Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Clarendon Press, Harvard University Press, Princeton University Press, University of Chicago Press, Journal of Philosophy, Basil Blackwell, Englewood Cliffs, Kegan Paul, Summa Theologiae, New Haven, Nicomachean Ethics, United States, New Testament, Yale University Press, Cornell University Press, Golden Rule, Roman Catholic, Thomas Aquinas, University of California Press, John Rawls, Old Testament, The Methods of Ethics New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
WHERE does ethics come from? Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
simple subjectivism, impartial contractors, deontological constraints, other social creatures, evolutionary ethicist, universal prescriptivism, shi fei, equal opportunity principle, normative relativism, basic moral rights, ethical subjectivism, constitutive attributes, ontological autonomy, deontological views, fundamental relativity, female ethic, moral considerability, ecological holism, semantic autonomy, intentional termination, equal moral status, divine command theory, moral facts, prima facie duties, rational egoism Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Clarendon Press, Harvard University Press, Princeton University Press, University of Chicago Press, Journal of Philosophy, Basil Blackwell, Englewood Cliffs, Kegan Paul, Summa Theologiae, New Haven, Nicomachean Ethics, United States, New Testament, Yale University Press, Cornell University Press, Golden Rule, Roman Catholic, Thomas Aquinas, University of California Press, John Rawls, Old Testament, The Methods of Ethics New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 163
books:
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100
books
cite this book:
See all 100 books citing this book
- Methods of Ethics by H. Sidgwick on 11 pages
- A Theory of Justice: Revised Edition (Belknap) by John Rawls on 4 pages
- Murder in the Cathedral by T. S. Eliot on page 96, page 104, and Index
- The Wealth of Nations: Representative Selections by Adam Smith on page 200, and page 355
- Ought, Reasons, and Morality: The Collected Papers of W.D. Falk by W. D. Falk on page 420, and page 440
See all 163 books this book cites
- Value, Obligation, And Meta-ethics.(Value Inquiry Book Series 30) by Robin Attfield on 7 pages
- Reality TV: Factual Entertainment and Television Audiences by Annette Hill on 7 pages
- Reality TV: Factual Entertainment and Television Audiences by Annette Hill on 7 pages
- Faithful Reason: Essays Catholic and Philosophical by John Haldane on 4 pages
- Rethinking Peter Singer: A Christian Critique by Gordon R. Preece on 4 pages
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