Customer Reviews

The Elements of Moral Philosophy

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I use this book (in conjunction with _The Right Thing to Do_, edited by Rachels) as a text for an intro-level ethics course that I teach. I can't recommend it highly enough. Rachels is a sharp philosopher, as well as an interesting and lucid writer. In this book he covers all the basics (Divine Command Theory, Cultural Relativism, Subjectivism, Utilitarianism, Kant...), and does a fine job of drawing examples from applied ethics (gay rights, euthanasia, animal rights...) to illustrate the theories he discusses. This is not to suggest that you will find no fault with any of Rachels' arguments. I myself am less than satisfied with his criticisms of emotivism and Kantianism -- but all things considered, this a minor complaint. The book still deserves five stars. If you are teaching ethics at the college level and are looking for an introductory level text, suitable for students with no previous exposure to philosophy, this is the one -- I know of none better.

I teach college-level ethics and decided to give the Rachels text a try for one of my courses this semester. It being probably the most popular ethics text, I thought it surely would be at least adequate. It is not.

Pros: Rachels' section on cultural relativism is probably the best discussion of the topic in print. Use it as a pivotal reference. His sections on "Absolute Moral Rules" and "Kant and Respect for Persons" are solid, and his section "The Idea of Social Contract" is a decent discussion of an oft-slighted moral theory. He also includes a not-too-shabby discussion of feminist ethics.

Cons: I must list these.

1) Rachels' section on utilitarianism is extremely poor, hardly mentioning the very important distinction between Bentham and Mill over the object of utility or Bentham's "Calculus of Felicity" which is an extremely important utilitarian first-step.

2) In the section on utilitarianism and in a few other places (inexplicably), Rachels forgoes an adequate explanation of the theory at hand, instead choosing to discuss it in the context of an applied problem like euthanasia or homosexuality. In doing so, he tries to accomplish far too much in far to short a time without a foundation.

3) His section "Subjectivism in Ethics" is hopelessly muddled between the view that morality is up to individual tastes or doesn't exists at all, and proper metaethical concerns about the meaning of moral statements (propositions or expressions of emotion?). The two are actually separate matters, and regardless they cannot both be adequately covered in 16 4"x8" pages. Better to leave out some material than cover it badly.

4) The book is too expensive. $32 for a text that is the length of a short paperback novel is obscene. Of course, this is a systemic problem with academic texts, but I have to say something.

I would recommend Pojmans "Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong" or Timmons "Conduct and Character" over this text. The Pojman text is a little slanted to the conservative right, but that can actually work well in that it can create positive tension upon which to discuss the core issues. And Pojman covers every base (and then some). Timmons has collected top-notch accessible primary source readings on moral theory, and so is another wise choice.

People often argue about particular moral issues, and often enter into debates with entirely different conceptions of how morality works, with different metaethical and normative ethical frameworks. Some people believe that which is moral is that which maximizes happiness, while other people believe that there are absolute moral rules which should never be transgressed (even if this were to increase happiness), still others believe that there are no objective, universal moral principles at all.
This book is a clear and thorough introduction to moral philosophy. Rachels explores Cultural Relativism, Subjectivism, Divine Command Theory, Ethical Egoism, Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics, Social Contract Theory, Virtue Ethics and other currently relevant issues in ethics. Each ethical theory is described quite systematically and Rachels offers the popular arguments both for and against each theory. But the text isn't dry or tiring; the book is enjoyable and easy to read, and Rachels offers many colourful examples to illustrate his points.
As with almost all philosophy texts, introductory or otherwise, and especially when ethics is the subject and such topics as affirmative action and abortion are discussed, albeit briefly, don't expect to agree with every argument of the author. The book ends with suggestions for further reading for each chapter, which may also be very helpful.
This book was prescribed for a course in moral philosophy I attended, but I recommend it to anyone interested in the subject. This review refers to the third edition of this book.

I teach an ethics course that is required of Computer Science Students at an area University. One problem I have is that, before we get to dicuss social and ethical issues as they pertain to technology and society, the student have no clue about any of the basics of ethical thought. For my purposes, this book is a deity-send. It is NOT complete, but it sure does a good job giving the basics of how we structure ethical discussions and how (and in some cases why) our views of what's right and wrong have developed. My students groan the first day of class when they see they have a philosophy book at the beginning of the semester, but they quit complaining once they begin reading. Fosters lots of good discussion in my class. I would NOT recommend it to someone wanting to study moral philosophy in depth. But for a quick overview of major trends, and particularly in the case of my class where "what is ethics?" is only one part of the content we cover--very good. 5 stars because it teaches well.

Supralapsiarian's comments are a bit unfair to Rachels. The book overall is very thought-provoking, despite the occasional strawman (mostly due to his secular bias). It *is* weak on abortion, homosexuality, religious morality, and the divine command theory for example. Rachels picks the most oversimplified positions in these areas to criticize.

There is no real problem with "reification of Reason" though. It's just useful shorthand. All his statements about Reason (capital R) can be translated into statements about reason and reasons (lower case r). And he does not set himself up as "a stable throne in the realm of moral epistemology". He says repeatedly things like:

"Moral truths are truths of reason. Such truths are objective in the sense that they are true independently of what we might want or think."

"Reason says what it says, regardless of our opinions or desires".

These are not statements of a subjectivist about reason or morality, or someone just projecting his own opinions or desires. He regards the relationship between moral conclusions and moral reasons as in some sense necessary, and that is a respectable view. It's analogous to the relationship between the conclusion that "copper melts at 1984 degrees F" and statements about this or that sample of copper melting at 1984 degrees F: "Reason" (i.e. objective rules of reasoning) determines that connection, not us (by what we believe or desire). Regardless of our beliefs or desires, the fact that this or that sample of copper melts at 1984 degrees F *is* (part of) a good reason for thinking that "copper melts at 1984 degrees F".

Similarly, there are good and sometimes conclusive reasons for some moral views (ex. see his section on proof in Ethics), and those are good reasons regardless of what anyone (himself included) believes or desires. In fact, a case can be made for saying that Rachels accepts a sort of Natural Law Theory (a theory that he claims to reject).

I am a college student, and this book was the required text book for the course. I am very pleased with this book. It opened my eyes to many different issues including Feminism, Homosexuality, Animal Rights and issues that I didn't have as much knowledge as I would have liked. It also introduced me to issues such as materialism, along with the dictionary, which is also very helpful. This book definitely ventures on all major sides of the issues. Rachel's never states his opinion or what he thinks is right, instead he does his best to state each side of the argument, and gives additional information about why the other side might dissagree. He also does this in a very easy to understand manner, and keeps it extremely enteresting by giving examples right from our history. This is one book I will definitely not want to sell back, and it has helped me grow as a person. I recommed this to students as well as anyone who is looking to continue their growth as a human being.

"The Elements of Moral Philosophy" is a fabulous, non-technical introduction to ethics. The writing is clear and historically informed, the main schools of thought are covered, and Rachels doesn't pretend that he's found all the answers to very difficult questions. I can't think of a better book for a college student who is new to philosophical ethics and wants to get a feel for how philosophers approach these issues.

I was struck by the handful of super-negative Amazon reviews. I suspect they were written by students who were forced to read the book for a class and either expected something else or were put off by Rachels' respectful but negative treatment of religious-based ethics. Ignore them.

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.

This slim volume is an excellent introduction to ethics. It is geared to the layman, and is an eminently readable exposition of all the main schools of moral thought. Author Rachels presents each ethical theory, and then presents arguments favoring and opposing the concept. He also applies ethical theories to such concrete problems as abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, and civil disobedience. If you like mind challenging ideas than you will enjoy this book. At the least you will find that all is not as it seems in the world of moral behavior.

All of the main schools of thought are discussed including religious theories, cultural relativism, egoism and utilitarianism. It's an engrossing book that may easily change the way you think.

Consider cultural relativism. Is it always wrong to kill? Years ago it was found that nomadic Eskimos often killed newborn infants. A child requires breast nourishment for four years in the cold north, and is carried and sheltered in the mother's parka as the family constantly travels. It is not feasible for a mother to carry, protect, and feed two infants at one time. The entire group would face extinction if too many infants were allowed to grow. Are these Eskimos to be considered immoral?

If you have an open mind, this is a great opportunity to learn that ethical behavior is not as rigidly defined as you may have thought.

I used this book as text for a college course at The University of Central Oklahoma. I found it an easy-read. The author is very good at taking ethical systems, and looking at them from both sides. I also believe that Mr. Rachels does quite a good job of proving that it is impossible to be completely objective. Overall, it is a great book, and I believe that anyone who is interested in Morals and Ethics will enjoy it.