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Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics 2nd Edition

by Simon Blackburn (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 256 ratings
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Writing with wit and elegance, Simon Blackburn tackles the basic questions of ethics in this lively book, highlighting the complications and troubling issues that spring from the very simple question of how we ought to live. Blackburn dissects the many common reasons for why we are skeptical about ethics. Drawing on examples from history, politics, religion and everyday personal experience, he shows how cynicism and self-consciousness can paralyze us into considering ethics a hopeless pursuit. He assures us that ethics is neither futile nor irrelevant, but an intimate part of the most important issues of living--of birth, death, happiness, desire, freedom, pleasure, and justice. Indeed, from moral dilemmas about abortion and euthanasia, to our obsession with personal rights, to our longing for a sense of meaning in life, our everyday struggles are rife with ethical issues. Blackburn distills the arguments of Hume, Kant and Aristotle down to their essences, to underscore the timeless relevance of our voice of conscience, the pitfalls of complacency, and our concerns about truth, knowledge and human progress.

Blackburn's rare combination of depth, rigor, and sparkling prose, along with his distinguished ranking among contemporary philosophers, mark Being Good as an important statement on our current disenchantment with ethics. It challenges us to take a more thoughtful reading of our ethical climate and to ponder more carefully our own standards of behavior.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0192853775
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0192853776
  3. Edition
    2nd
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    April 17, 2003
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.72 x 0.41 x 5.62 inches
  8. Print length
    176 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A brief introduction to ethics, one that plays lightly and gracefully over a number of philosophical themes, including the relationship between being good and living well."--Jim Holt, The New Yorker

"A slender but rich meditation on why humans should choose to behave well when the possibilities for doing evil are so abundant.... Highly accessible, and highly rewarding."--Kirkus

"Simon Blackburn's short book takes the big moral questions head on and does so brilliantly...a witty, vivid write with an enviable popular touch...this is a wonderfully enlightening book."--Ben Rogers, Sunday Telegraph

Book Description

Eminent philosopher Simon Blackburn delivers an eloquent, engaging companion to his best-selling book Think, illuminating the basic questions of ethics

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (April 17, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0192853775
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0192853776
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.72 x 0.41 x 5.62 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 256 ratings

About the author

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Simon Blackburn

Simon Blackburn

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Simon Blackburn is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. He was Edna J. Doury Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, and from 1969 to 1990 was a Fellow and Tutor at Pembroke College, Oxford. He is the author of The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy and the best-selling Think and Being Good, among other books.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
256 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. It provides an introduction to ethics, theories, and issues. The writing is concise and to the point, covering most aspects of moral philosophy. Readers appreciate the author's views and consider it a good introduction to the field.

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ReadabilityIntroduction to ethics
17 customers mention "Readability"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. It provides a concise introduction to ethics, theories, and issues in an interesting way. The writing is clear and the language is good for those new to philosophy. Overall, it's a nice introduction to the field of ethics.

"It’s a short book (which makes sense since it’s an introduction) and easy to read...." Read more

"...It's also a great read for those considering a philosophy major." Read more

"...The book was interesting. It covered many aspects of ethics and gave a general background. The book did not focus on one subject concerning ethics...." Read more

"Concise and to the point...." Read more

14 customers mention "Introduction to ethics"12 positive2 negative

Customers find the book an engaging introduction to ethics. They say it covers most moral philosophy and infuses the author's views. The book is concise, to the point, and keeps their interest. It serves its purpose for class and provides a nice refresher on formal ethics.

"Blackburn's book is a great introduction to ethics for people who want to learn about the subject but don't know where to start...." Read more

"...The book was interesting. It covered many aspects of ethics and gave a general background. The book did not focus on one subject concerning ethics...." Read more

"Concise and to the point...." Read more

"...It covers a lot of ground in a succinct manner. There are plenty of textbooks on ethics, but many require a solid grounding in philosophical concepts..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • cmcd
    5.0 out of 5 stars Easy-to-read introduction
    Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2021
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    It’s a short book (which makes sense since it’s an introduction) and easy to read. The author clearly put thought into how to best present the material.
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  • Mohit Patel
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Intro Level Book!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Blackburn's book is a great introduction to ethics for people who want to learn about the subject but don't know where to start. It's also a great read for those considering a philosophy major.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • DMack
    4.0 out of 5 stars Being Good: An Introduction to Ethics
    Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    My book review of Being Good: An Introduction to Ethics by Simon Blackburn published by Oxford University Press first published in 2001, ISBN 0-19-210052-1 $8.18. The book is about the beginning of ethics and its foundation.
    The author wanted to give the reader some threats to ethics, some ideas of ethics, the background and foundation for ethics. He wanted to put his own spin on ethics plus mix in the views of some of the greatest philosophers in our history. The work is mostly written from the author's point of view, but he does often offer the view of other philosophers and ordinary people. The author did not try to convince the reader on any of his views; he only wanted to state his opinion and that of other scholars. The general field for the book is ethics which the title suggests. The intended audience is the average person interested in understanding the legacy of ethics. The author's writing style is very informal. He does not use a lot of words that normal people would not understand. The book is organized into three parts, part one is titled the Seven Threats to Ethics, part two is titled Some Ethical Ideas and part three is titled Foundations. I think the book is very well organized. It starts out by explaining ethics and then goes into some ethical ideas by introducing the thoughts of other philosophers and gives you the foundations by which you should stand on your ethics. The author's style of writing does fit his intended audience. The chapters seem to flow in chronological order. The separation of the three parts of the book really helps the reader understand what is coming next. You can get a sense from reading the chapter that you are currently reading on what is coming next plus the author makes references to what will be covered in upcoming chapters. The book did not change the way I thought about things before I read it. I do not think this was the author's intent. I thought the examples that the author gave about the Old Testament of the Bible was interesting. In the Old Testament animals were mistreated, children were mistreated, people were allowed to be enslaved, and the mistreatment of women. The author went on to discuss how the New Testament was more compassionate. He stated that rules are different to different people based on their teachings and the society that they live in. The author did make one point that made me change a saying that I often say, "When in Rome do as the Romans". The author asked if the Romans were doing something nasty, am I supposed to do it too. The book was interesting. It covered many aspects of ethics and gave a general background. The book did not focus on one subject concerning ethics. I have never read a book that was completely about ethics. The author did keep my interest. The one thing that puzzled me about the author was the way the author talked about women. Whenever he gave a negative example about something he would use "she", but when he was using a positive example he would never say she. The author discussed that there were fewer women in countries like China and India, but based on the numbers and statistics there should be more women in those society. In summary the book was interesting reading. The author did discuss current issues like abortion, but did not state which side of the debate he was on. The author's goal was to give the reader a quick background on ethics from the beginning to its foundation. I think the author succeed in his goal. Another good point that the author made was that death was the greatest mystery, but if you believed in life after death there was no need to fear death. Overall this was a very good book to read. It kept my interest which is not easy to do.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • CDanea
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nice way to catch up on the topic of formal ethics
    Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2015
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    Concise and to the point. Very nice summary of the history with precise descriptions of various positions from famous philosophers and entire schools of thought.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • zviad
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not Objective
    Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2023
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    Not adequate description of facts in the bible and interaction between Adler and Popper as if he doesn’t know them and have not read them properly. pretty biased I would say.
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  • Diana Newton-Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars An easily accessible book on an important topic
    Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is an elegantly written, easily accessible book on an important topic. It covers a lot of ground in a succinct manner. There are plenty of textbooks on ethics, but many require a solid grounding in philosophical concepts, which I don't have yet. I've recommended this book to others.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Luna
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2017
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    concise and nice!
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  • Cliente Amazon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but it could bemore clear
    Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2014
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    A good introduction to many important issues in ethics, but it could vbe more clear about some of them. The language is good and a person who doesn't know much abou philosophy can enjoy it without geting bored.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • tetyana
    5.0 out of 5 stars Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics
    Reviewed in Germany on November 17, 2024
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    A really good book that goes over important ethical topics in an easy fashion! Would recommend to everyone!
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  • Andrea Simeoli
    5.0 out of 5 stars ottimo
    Reviewed in Italy on February 18, 2021
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    ottimo
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  • MCB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ok
    Reviewed in France on November 16, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Pour la fac. Tout est OK. Rien à redire
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  • SCamhill
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on February 25, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Got it fast and just as expected! Thanks :)
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  • Den
    5.0 out of 5 stars The moral mirror
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2016
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    Thoroughly concise and enjoyable piece by a respected author. After reading this and looking in the mirror, you may not see a saint, but you need not see a monster either.
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