Doing Ethics

D O I N G E T H I C S

‘’ Moral Reasoning and Contemporary Issues

F I F T H E D I T I O N

Lewis Vaughn

n W . W . N O R T O N & C O M P A N Y , I N C .

N E W Y O R K • L O N D O N

 

 

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iii

C O N T E N T S

‘’ P r e f a c e x i x

P A R T 1 : F U N D A M E N T A L S

C H A P T E R 1 Ethics and the Examined Life 3

The Ethical Landscape 5

The Elements of Ethics 6

The Preeminence of Reason 6

Quick Review 7

The Universal Perspective 7

The Principle of Impartiality 7

The Dominance of Moral Norms 8

Religion and Morality 8

Believers Need Moral Reasoning 9

When Conflicts Arise, Ethics Steps In 9

Moral Philosophy Enables Productive Discourse 9

Critical Thought—Ethics, Religion, And Tough Moral Issues 1 0

SUMMARY 1 1

KEY TERMS 1 2

REVIEW QUESTIONS 1 2

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1 2

ETHICAL DILEMMAS 1 3

FURTHER READING 1 3

R E A D I N G S

What Is the Socratic Method? by Christopher Phillips 1 4

The Euthyphro by Plato 1 6

 

 

C H A P T E R 2 Subjectivism, Relativism, and Emotivism 2 0

Subjective Relativism 2 1

Quick Review 2 1

Judge Not? 2 2

Cultural Relativism 2 3

Critical Thought—“Female Circumcision” And Cultural Relativism 2 4

Emotivism 2 8

SUMMARY 3 0

KEY TERMS 3 1

REVIEW QUESTIONS 3 1

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 3 1

ETHICAL DILEMMAS 3 2

FURTHER READING 3 2

R E A D I N G S

Anthropology and the Abnormal by Ruth Benedict 3 3

Trying Out One’s New Sword by Mary Midgley 3 5

P A R T 2 : M O R A L R E A S O N I N G

C H A P T E R 3 Evaluating Moral Arguments 4 1

Claims and Arguments 4 1

Arguments Good and Bad 4 3

Critical Thought—The Moralit y Of Critical Thinking 4 4

Implied Premises 4 7

Quick Review 4 7

Deconstructing Arguments 48

Moral Statements and Arguments 5 1

Testing Moral Premises 5 4

Assessing Nonmoral Premises 5 5

Quick Review 5 5

Á CONTENTSiv

 

 

Avoiding Bad Arguments 5 6

Begging the Question 5 6

Equivocation 5 7

Appeal to Authority 5 7

Appeal To Emotion 5 7

Slippery Slope 5 8

Faulty Analogy 5 8

Appeal to Ignorance 5 8

Straw Man 5 9

Appeal to the Person 5 9

Hasty Generalization 5 9

Quick Review 6 0

Writing and Speaking about Moral Issues 6 0

SUMMARY 6 2

KEY TERMS 6 2

REVIEW QUESTIONS 6 3

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 6 3

ARGUMENT EXERCISES 6 3

FURTHER READING 6 4

C H A P T E R 4 The Power of Moral Theories 6 5

Theories of Right and Wrong 6 5

Moral Theories Versus Moral Codes 6 6

Major Theories 6 7

Consequentialist Theories 6 7

Nonconsequentialist Theories 6 8

Quick Review 6 9

Evaluating Theories 7 0

Criterion 1: Consistency with Considered Moral Judgments 7 1

Considered Moral Judgment s 7 2

Criterion 2: Consistency with Our Moral Experiences 7 2

Critical Thought—A 100 Percent All-Natural Theory 7 3

Criterion 3: Usefulness in Moral Problem Solving 7 3

CONTENTS Á v

 

 

Quick Review 7 4

Devising a Coherent Moral Theory 7 4

Moral Common Sense 7 4

Building a Moral Theory 7 5

Prima Facie Principles 7 6

Three Rules 7 7

Self-Evidence 8 0

SUMMARY 8 1

KEY TERMS 8 1

REVIEW QUESTIONS 8 1

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 8 2

ETHICAL DILEMMAS 8 2

FURTHER READING 8 2

P A R T 3 : T H E O R I E S O F M O R A L I T Y

C H A P T E R 5 Consequentialist Theories: Maximize the Good 8 5

Ethical Egoism 8 5

Applying the Theory 8 6

Evaluating the Theory 8 7

Can Ethical Egoism Be Advocated? 8 9

Quick Review 9 1

Utilitarianism 9 1

Applying the Theory 9 4

Peter Singer, Utilitarian 9 5

Quick Review 9 6

Evaluating the Theory 9 6

Learning from Utilitarianism 1 0 0

Social Contract Theory 1 0 0

Critical Thought—Cross-Species Transplant s: What Would A Utilitarian Do? 1 0 1

Hobbes’s Theory 1 0 1

Evaluating the Theory 1 0 2

Á CONTENTSvi

 

 

 

CONTENTS Á  vii

SUMMARY 1 0 4

KEY TERMS 1 0 5

REVIEW QUESTIONS 1 0 5

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1 0 5

ETHICAL DILEMMAS 1 0 6

FURTHER READING 1 0 6

R E A D I N G S

Egoism and Altruism by Louis P. Pojman 1 0 7

Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill 1 1 1

A Theory of Justice by John Rawls 1 1 5

The Entitlement Theory of Justice by Robert Nozick 1 2 2

C H A P T E R 6 Nonconsequentialist Theories: Do Your Duty 1 3 2

Kant’s Ethics 1 3 2

Critical Thought—Sizing Up The Golden Rule 1 3 4

Applying the Theory 1 3 5

Evaluating the Theory 1 3 6

Kant, Respect, And Personal Right s 1 3 7

Learning from Kant’s Theory 1 3 8

Natural Law Theory 1 3 9

Applying the Theory 1 4 1

Quick Review 1 4 1

Critical Thought—Double Effect And The “Trolley Problem” 1 4 2

Evaluating the Theory 1 4 2

Learning from Natural Law 1 4 3

SUMMARY 1 4 4

KEY TERMS 1 4 4

REVIEW QUESTIONS 1 4 4

 

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1 4 5

ETHICAL DILEMMAS 1 4 5

FURTHER READING 1 4 6

R E A D I N G S

Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals by Immanuel Kant 1 4 6

Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas 1 5 5

Morality as a System of Hypothetical Imperatives by Philippa Foot 1 6 5

C H A P T E R 7 Virtue Ethics: Be a Good Person 1 7 2

The Ethics of Virtue 1 7 2

Critical Thought—Learning Virtues In The Classroom 1 7 3

Virtue in Action 1 7 4

Evaluating Virtue Ethics 1 7 4

Critical Thought—Warrior Virtues And Moral Disagreement s 1 7 6

Quick Review 1 7 7

Learning from Virtue Ethics 1 7 7

SUMMARY 1 7 7

KEY TERMS 1 7 8

REVIEW QUESTIONS 1 7 8

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1 7 8

ETHICAL DILEMMAS 1 7 8

FURTHER READING 1 7 9