We often make judgments about good and bad, right and wrong. Philosophical ethics is the critical examination of these and other concepts central to how we evaluate our own and each others' behavior and choices. This text examines some of the main threads of discussion on these topics that have developed over the last couple of millenia, mostly within the Western cultural tradition.The book is designed to be used alone or alongside a reader of historical and contemporary original sources, and is freely available in web and digital formats at https: //press.rebus.community/intro-to-phil-ethics/. If you are adopting or adapting this book for a course, please let us know on our adoption form for the Introduction to Philosophy open textbook series: https: //docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwf2E7bRGvWefjhNZ07kgpgnNFxVxxp-iidPE5gfDBQNGBGg/viewform?usp=sf_link. Cover art by Heather Salazar; cover design by Jonathan Lashley. One of nine books in the Introduction to Philosophy open textbook serie

Ethics appears early in the life of a culture. It is not the creation of philosophers. Many philosophers today think that their job is to take the ethics of their society in hand, analyse it into parts, purge the bad ideas, and organize the good into a systematic moral theory. The philosophers' ethics that results is likely to be very different from the culture's raw ethics and, they think, being better, should replace it. But few of us, even among philosophers, settle real-life moral questions by consulting the Categorical Imperative or the Principle of Utility, largely because, if we do, we often do not trust the outcome or cannot even reliably enough decide what it is. By contrast, James Griffin explores the question what philosophers can reasonably expect to contribute to normative ethics or to the ethics of a culture. Griffin argues that moral philosophers must tailor their work to what ordinary humans' motivational capabilities, and he offers a new account of moral deliberation.

Moral Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction is a compact yet comprehensive book offering an explication and critique of the major theories that have shaped philosophical ethics. Engaging with both historical and contemporary figures, this book explores the scope, limits, and requirements of morality. DeNicola traces our various attempts to ground morality: in nature, in religion, in culture, in social contracts, and in aspects of the human person such as reason, emotions, caring, and intuition.

An accessible, student-centred guide to the key ideas in moral philosophy. Suitable for both A Level and undergraduate study. This book provides an accessible, readable, student-centred guide to moral philosophy. Through lucid explanation, careful use of modern examples and engaging activities it leads students towards deeper understanding of all the key issues in the study of ethics. Key features include: - a clear overview of the key ideas in moral philosophy, including detailed examination of the prescribed areas of study: meta-ethics, prescriptive ethics and applied ethics - application of those ideas to the contemporary issues of abortion, euthanasia and animal rights - imaginative tasks and activities to stimulate thought and explore ethical ideas in an engaging and motivating way - key quotes from the significant writers, and interesting examples of ethical debate in film and literature - a critical analysis of the various ethical theories - end-of-chapter key point summaries covering what readers need to know to answer exam questions on moral philosophy and ethics - an extensive glossary of key words and ideas - thorough referencing to enable students to follow up key ideas and quotes in independent study.

Ethics and the History of Indian Philosophy, by Shyam Ranganathan, presents a compelling, systematic explication of the moral philosophical content of history of Indian philosophy in contrast to the received wisdom in Indology and comparative philosophy that Indian philosophers were scarcely interested in ethics. Unlike most works on the topic, this book makes a case for the positive place of ethics in the history of Indian philosophy by drawing upon recent work in metaethics and metamorality, and by providing a through analysis of the meaning of moral concepts and PHILOSOPHY itself- in addition to explicating the texts of Indian authors. In Ranganathan`s account, Indian philosophy shines with distinct options in ethics that find their likeness in the writings of the Ancient in the West, such as Plato and the Neo-Platonists, and not in the anthropocentric or positivistic options that have dominated the recent Western tradition.

How much can we reasonably expect from education? This book, written by a philosopher of education, casts new light on this question by seeing values education, not as a separate activity within schools, but as an aspect of education that both reflects the surrounding climate of values and can help to change it. Graham Haydon argues that all of us – whether as teachers, parents, students or citizens – share in a responsibility for the quality of that ethical environment. He argues that we must ensure that what happens in schools will: enable young people to appreciate the diversity of our ethical environment help them find their way through its complexities contribute to developing a climate of values that is desirable for all. This book shows that values education is too demanding to be left to parents and too important to be entrusted to government initiatives. For teachers engaged in values education, this book brings a fresh perspective to what they are doing, within a realistic view of their responsibilities. For students of education, it shows that practical issues can be illuminated by insights from philosophy.