Living Issues in Ethics [Paperback]

Richard Nolan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2000

In 1959 at a fashionable New England college I introduced a course with what I believed to be an engaging title: "Problems in Christian Ethics." It quickly became very popular, probably because the students thought it might provide a last-gasp answer to the enormous problems raised by the changing world of the '50's and '60's. For both professor and students, the course provided a wonderful opportunity to work out one's point of view on ethical issues. But the major pedagogical stumbling block came in attempting to assign appropriate readings for the juicy subject matter. I either assigned the students a dozen different books to cover the course material, or I prohibited them from reading anything, insisting that the course's substantive content would come from the lectures. Now, after all these years, the problem has been solved. Living Issues in Ethics, a new book by Richard T. Nolan and Frank G. Kirkpatrick, fulfills admirably the need for a one-volume text discussing the basic problems in ethics and dealing with them in both a theoretical and a practical way. It is a solid book, totally contemporary and aware of the latest developments in Christian ethical thinking. In a lucid and engaging way, the authors present the following topics: "The Search for a Moral Philosophy," "Personal Identity and Fulfillment," "Health and Sexuality" and "Social Ethics." They engage the reader in subject matter ranging from "The Ingredients of a Moral Philosophy" to an insightful rendering of the history of that philosophy, as well as problems of femininity, varieties of love, marriage and the family, medical ethics, moral sexual conduct, obligations of the political order, the socialist alternative, the demand for expression versus the right to privacy, the dilemmas of dissent, sexual justice, energy and ecology, "life-boat" ethics, "just-war" theory, and many, many others. Each chapter contains a review and a section on suggested readings. The book is so go

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In 1959 at a fashionable New England college I introduced a course with what I believed to be an engaging title: "Problems in Christian Ethics." It quickly became very popular, probably because the students thought it might provide a last-gasp answer to the enormous problems raised by our changing world. For both professor and students, the course provided a wonderful opportunity to work out one's point of view on ethical issues. But the major pedagogical stumbling block came in attempting to assign appropriate readings for the juicy subject matter. I either assigned the students a dozen different books to cover the course material, or I prohibited them from reading anything, insisting that the course's substantive content would come from the lectures. Now, after all these years, the problem has been solved. Living Issues in Ethics, a new book by Richard T. Nolan and Frank G. Kirkpatrick, fulfills admirably the need for a one-volume text discussing the basic problems in ethics and dealing with them in both a theoretical and a practical way. It is a solid book, totally contemporary and aware of the latest developments in ethical thinking. In a lucid and engaging way, the authors present the following topics: "The Search for a Moral Philosophy," "Personal Identity and Fulfillment," "Health and Sexuality" and "Social Ethics." They engage the reader in subject matter ranging from "The Ingredients of a Moral Philosophy" to an insightful rendering of the history of that philosophy, as well as problems of femininity, varieties of love, marriage and the family, medical ethics, moral sexual conduct, obligations of the political order, the socialist alternative, the demand for expression versus the right to privacy, the dilemmas of dissent, sexual justice, energy and ecology, "life-boat" ethics, "just-war" theory, and many, many others. Each chapter contains a review and a section on suggested readings.

The book is so good that I plan to use it in next year's 'Problems in Christian Ethics." -- William A. Johnson Professor at Brandeis University, Mass.

About the Author

Frank G. Kirkpatrick received a B.A. from Trinity College (Conn.), M.A. from Union Theological Seminary-Columbia University, and Ph.D. from Brown University. Author of many journal essays in process thought, he is Ellsworth Morton Tracy Lecturer and Professor of Religion at Trinity College, Hartford. His books include Community: A Trinity of Models, Together Bound: God, History, and the Religious Community and the forthcoming An Ethics of Community.

Richard T. Nolan earned a B.A. from Trinity College (Conn.), M.Div. from The Hartford Seminary, M.A. from Yale University, and Ph.D. from New York University. Editor of The Diaconate Now and co-author of the 7th, 8th, and 9th editions of Living Issues in Philosophy, he is retired in West Palm Beach and on the adjunct faculty of Palm Beach Community College, Lake Worth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 404 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (June 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595000428
• ISBN-13: 978-0595000425
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,651,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard T. Nolan (1937- ) was born in Waltham, MA, and was educated at the Boston Latin School, Tabor Academy, Trinity College (CT) [B.A.], Hartford Seminary [M.Div.], Yale [M.A. in Religion], and N.Y.U. [Ph.D.]. He edited "The Diaconate Now" (1968) and coauthored three editions of "Living Issues In Philosophy," "Living Issues In Ethics" and "Soul Mates: More Than Partners" (online).

His full professional biography is included in the online Wikipedia Encyclopedia, and www.philosophy-religion.org/, which he edits.

Dr. Nolan's philosophical questioning began while a very young boy as a result of attending simultaneously a private Roman Catholic elementary day school, an Episcopal Church, and having parents from both of those traditions -- which made for a very stimulating, yet remarkably caring, peaceful home and school life. His curiosity led him especially to studies in theories of knowledge, theories of reality, philosophy of religion, ethics, and world religions. He currently lives in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Readable, November 30, 2000

By 

Robert C. Pingpank (Greenacres, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Issues in Ethics (Paperback)

This book has helped me sort out the basic issues and positions on the most important moral issues we face today. It includes major historical positions from both secular and religious viewpoints. The presentations of such topics as medical ethics, sexual ethics, and areas of social ethics illuminate fundamental issues that will remain pertinent for every person in all cultures. I now understand what I must consider as I give thought to personal and social ethical concerns. An up-to-date bibliography is provided along with excellent internet links. As a retired high school math teacher, I was looking for a survey that was solid academically yet readable without taking a course. This book is the answer!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More on Chinese Edition, November 20, 2000

By 

Dr. Richard T. Nolan (West Palm Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living Issues in Ethics (Paperback)

Received by Dr. Nolan from one of the translators on November 20, 2000:

I am sure that you would be pleased to know that your book has been read in many universities in China, because it was one of the first few Western books on applying ethics that were introduced to the Chinese. For this, I am deeply grateful to you.

Best wishes

Xinzhong Yao, Ph.D. Chairman, Dept. of Theology and Religious Studies University of Wales, Lampeter Ceredigion SA48 7ED UK

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just What I Was Looking For!, November 26, 2000

By 

Robert C. Pingpank (Greenacres, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Issues in Ethics (Paperback)

This book has helped me sort out the basic issues and positions on the most important moral issues we face today. It includes major historical positions from both secular and religious viewpoints. An up-to-date bibliography is provided along with excellent internet links. As a retired high school math teacher, I was looking for a survey of personal and social ethics that was solid academically yet readable without taking a course. This book is the answer!