The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature [Paperback]

Louis P. Pojman (Author), Lewis Vaughn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195396251 | ISBN-13: 978-0195396256 | Publication Date: April 14, 2010 | Edition: 4

Now in its fourth edition, Louis P. Pojman and Lewis Vaughn's acclaimed The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature brings together an extensive and varied collection of eighty-five classical and contemporary readings on ethical theory and practice. Integrating literature with philosophy in an innovative way, the book uses literary works to enliven and make concrete the ethical theory or applied issues addressed. Literary works by Angelou, Camus, Hawthorne, Huxley, Ibsen, Le Guin, Melville, Orwell, Styron, Tolstoy, and many others lead students into such philosophical concepts and issues as relativism; utilitarianism; virtue ethics; the meaning of life; freedom and autonomy; sex, love, and marriage; animal rights; and terrorism. These topics are developed further through readings by philosophers including Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Singer, Sartre, Nagel, and Thomson. This unique anthology emphasizes the personal dimension of ethics, which is often ignored or minimized in ethics texts. It also incorporates chapter introductions, study questions, suggestions for further reading, and biographical sketches of the writers.

The fourth edition features five new readings--by James Rachels, Alasdair MacIntyre, Michael Levin, John Corvino, and Stephen Nathanson--and a new appendix on how to write a philosophy paper. A new Companion Website features resources for both students and instructors including reading summaries; true/false, multiple-choice, and essay questions; and PowerPoint slides. Ideal for introductory ethics courses, The Moral Life, Fourth Edition, also provides an engaging gateway into personal and social ethics for general readers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I found the text to be first-rate and a pleasure to use as a core volume."--Neil Delaney, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

"The volume compares very favorably with other texts in the introduction to ethics market. I rate it as the best current reader."--Kevin Harrelson, Ball State University

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1008 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 4 edition (April 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195396251
• ISBN-13: 978-0195396256
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars moral life, October 23, 2003

By 

Nathan (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature (Paperback)

I use this book as a text book for my introduction to ethics course at a local community college. This book is not only great for a text but also very interesting to read. Some of the selections are difficult to understand and are difficult reading but over all it is a great book for those wishing to gain a broad base of knowledge on a variety of moral theories and issues.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great introductory reader...just draw your own conclusions, February 14, 2007

By 

Matthew Case (Springfield, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature (Paperback)

I felt compelled to write this review after seeing certain things in other reviews which attack the character of this man, rather than the quality of the passages contained in the text. I hope that this review will educate individuals about the text, as well as the passages contained in the text.

Firstly i take issue with this personal attack on Pojman. Yes, I disagree with 99% percent of what this man believes on issues concerning morality, but I don't think attacking his character is a fair way to review his text. Secondly, many people, including my fellow students, felt as though Pojman presented his opinions in a fundamentalist light, which would certainly follow because of his own beliefs. Though there are certainly shades of fundamentalism and even neo-conservatism in this book, is that necessarily a bad thing?

The purpose of this book was to present ethics in as many ways as possible. Though there does seem to be an proportionately large amount of material in here that most postmodern, existential, utilitarian, conflict theorist, etc... would disagree with. It is important for a college student in an intro to ethics class to be exposed to different points of view, even if they aren't popular.

And all the popular points are certainly there as well. Nietzsche, Mill, Dostoevsky, Hobbes. Certainly this book could have been more comprehensive and presented in a more relative light (as Pojman will show favoritism in painfully obvious ways) but hey, as far as intro to ethics books go this is about as good as it gets. Most level-headed college students that walk into a class that uses this book will walk out remembering the classic texts, and not the obscurities carefully selected by Pojman.

There is a great cross-section of selections here that will undoubtedly upon the mind of any college student. I highly recommend this book, just be careful and draw your own conclusions.

Note to professors: Please teach this class carefully, as if you strictly assign material and do not go over it in a comprehensive manner, students may walk away with nothing more than the opinions of an inferior ethicist. Still you could do much worse than this book.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, January 20, 2005

By 

John Dunn "Dunn" (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature (Paperback)

This is the best book available on the interrelationship between ethics and literature. Seeing the moral dimension of the works of Hawhorne, Hugo, Huxley, LeGuin and scores of others highlights the importance of morality in our lives and awakens the imagination to possibilities hitherto ignored. This is a wonderful book which every intlligent person should read.