How Should We Live?: An Introduction to Ethics [Paperback]

Louis P. Pojman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534556574 | ISBN-13: 978-0534556570 | Publication Date: August 3, 2004 | Edition: 1

Louis Pojman's new HOW SHOULD WE LIVE? is a concise and engaging text that offers a provocative discussion of the central questions and theories in moral philosophy. Crafted by one of contemporary philosophy's most gifted teachers, it begins with a poignant meditation on Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES, a starting point for an eye-opening examination of central metaethical concepts such as relativism, objectivism, egoism, and whether or not religion is a necessity for morality. From there Pojman presents with even-handed consideration and in a readily accessible style the three most seminal ethical theories: utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue-based ethics. The book's discussion culminates with a very timely exploration of the grounds for human rights in today's increasingly global society.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Louis Paul Pojman grew up in Cicero, Illinois in the 1940s and 50s. He attended Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary, from which he received a MA and PhD in Religion. In 1969 he was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Copenhagen and in 1970 a Rockefeller Fellow at Hamburg University. He received his PhD in Philosophy from Oxford University in 1997. His first position was at the University of Notre Dame, after which he taught at the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Mississippi, where for three years he served as the Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. In 1995 he accepted an offer to become Professor of Philosophy at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has recently been a Visiting Professor at Brigham Young University in Utah and a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University. Louis Pojman is the author or editor of over 30 books and 80 articles. He has won several research and teaching awards, including the Burlington Northern Award for Outstanding Teaching and Scholarship (1988) and the Outstanding Scholar/Teacher in the Humanities at the University of Mississippi (1994). He and his wife are avid hikers, bikers, and environmentalists (life-time members of the Sierra Club). They have two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 1 edition (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534556574
• ISBN-13: 978-0534556570
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,154 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lewis Vaughn is the former editor of Free Inquiry magazine and the former executive editor of the philosophy journal Philo. The late Louis P. Pojman was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very accessible... and very sloppy., October 20, 2006

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soren-k (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Should We Live?: An Introduction to Ethics (Paperback)

This text is a case study in how far one can achieve accessibility in an introductory text without sacrificing precision and accuracy. Pojman does not achieve the balance, I'm afraid. I selected this book for its clear, non-technical style and its range of topics (more specifically, for its balance of issues in normative ethics and metaethics). But in several chapters, I have found myself spending most of the class time correcting the mistakes, sloppy reasoning, and caricatures of different views that pervade the text. The chapter on Religion and Ethics is especially embarrassing, running roughshod over key distinctions at every turn, making no mention of the key developments in the last few decades, and generally just making a mess of the whole discussion. Needless to say, I do not recommend this book.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Zzzzzz, October 14, 2009

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Kelsey Mclellan (Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How Should We Live?: An Introduction to Ethics (Paperback)

This book is one big snore. Unfortunately, it was not an interesting read, and I ended up not finishing it out of pure boredom.