Table of Contents
Preface xiii
About the Author xvi
Chapter 1 Moral Philosophy and Moral Reasoning 1
The Point of Moral Philosophy 1
Developing a Moral Outlook 2
Traditions of Moral Philosophy 3
The Nature of Moral Inquiry 4
Meta-Ethics 5
Normative Ethics 5
Applied Ethics 6
Moral Reasoning 7
Formal Logic: Validity, Soundness, Equivocation, Circularity 8
Analogy, Induction, Argument to the Best Explanation 11
Thought Experiments and Moral Intuitions 13
Special Moral Arguments 16
The Plan of This Book 17
Chapter Review 18
Summary 18
Discussion Questions 19
Key Terms 19
Key Thinkers 19
Further Reading 20
Chapter 2 Cultural Relativism 21
The Variety of Moral Practices 21
Objectivism or Cultural Relativism? 23
Relativism and Pseudo-Relativism 26
Problems for Relativism 31
Modest Relativism 32
Genital Cutting and Cultural Relativism 34
Chapter Review 37
Summary 37
Discussion Questions 38
Key Terms 38
Key Thinkers 38
Further Reading 39
Chapter 3 Skepticism and Subjectivism 40
Moral Nihilism 40
Morality and Custom 42
Morality as a Device to Curb the Strong 43
Individual Subjectivism 44
Expressivism 46
Objective Moral Concepts 49
Ethics, Language, Metaphysics, and Epistemology 51
The Argument From Queerness 52
Responding to Nihilism, Subjectivism, and Error Theory 54
Chapter Review 55
Summary 55
Discussion Questions 56
Key Terms 56
Key Thinkers 56
Further Reading 57
Chapter 4 Free Will and Moral Responsibility 58
Free Will 58
Intuitive Belief in Free Will 59
Sociological Determinism 61
Psychological and Physical Determinism 61
Determinism and Moral Responsibility 63
Compatibilism 64
Law and Determinism 67
Chapter Review 68
Summary 68
Discussion Questions 69
Key Terms 69
Key Thinkers 69
Further Reading 69
Chapter 5 Religion and Natural Law 71
Religion as a Basis for Morality 71
Divine Command and the Euthyphro Dilemma 73
Responding to the Dilemma 75
The Logic of the Dilemma 76
Religion and Natural Law 77
Natural Law and Reason 78
The Fact/Value Distinction 81
Natural Law and Conscience 83
Chapter Review 84
Summary 84
Discussion Questions 85
Key Terms 85
Key Thinkers 85
Further Reading 86
Chapter 6 Egoism 88
Why Be Moral? 88
Psychological Egoism 89
The Evidence for Psychological Egoism 91
Can Psychological Egoism Be Rejected? 95
Self-interest and Evolution 96
Selfish Genes and Kin Altruism 96
The Mountain People 98
Ethical Egoism 100
Private Vices, Public Virtues 101
Pure Ethical Egoism 102
Chapter Review 105
Summary 105
Discussion Questions 105
Key Terms 105
Key Thinkers 105
Further Reading 106
Chapter 7 The Social Contract 108
Morality as a Compromise Agreement 108
The Social Contract 111
The Prisoner's Dilemma 112
Cooperation and Public Goods 114
Developing the Contract Argument 116
Beyond Rules and Regulations 118
Social Contract Theory in Practice 119
Chapter Review 121
Summary 121
Discussion Questions 122
Key Terms 122
Key Thinkers 123
Further Reading 123
Chapter 8 Utilitarianism: Bentham and Mill 125
The Context of Bentham's Moral Philosophy 125
Elimination of Asceticism 128
Elimination of the Principle of Sympathy and Antipathy 129
Clarifying Utilitarianism 130
Bentham's Theory of the Good 131
Measuring Happiness 131
Utilitarianism and Equality for Women 134
The Subjection of Women 135
Justifying Utilitarianism 136
Milt's "Proof" 138
Aggregating Happiness 141
Chapter Review 142
Summary 142
Discussion Questions 142
Key Terms 142
Key Thinkers 142
Further Reading 143
Chapter 9 Challenges for Utilitarianism 144
Is Happiness the Sole Ultimate Good? 144
The Narrowness Objection 144
The Agency Objection 146
The Evil Pleasures Objection 147
The Quality Objection 147
The Irrelevance Objection 149
Maximizing Happiness 150
Counterintuitive Consequences 151
Modifying Utilitarianism 153
Act and Rule Utilitarianism 153
Two-Level Utilitarianism 155
The Problem of Contingency: Gender and Race 157
Chapter Review 159
Summary 159
Discussion Questions 160
Key Terms 160
Key Thinkers 160
Further Reading 161
Chapter 10 Deontology: Kant 163
The Supreme Moral Principle 163
Summary of Kant's Ethics 164
The Good Will 166
Sympathy 168
The Categorical Imperative 169
Hypothetical and Categorical Imperatives 170
The Maxim of an Action 171
Kant's Examples 173
Suicide 175
False Promising, Neglecting Your Talents, and Failing to Help 177
Chapter Review 179
Summary 179
Discussion Questions 180
Key Terms 180
Key Thinkers 180
Further Reading 180
Chapter 11 Challenges for Kantian Ethics 182
Formulations of the Supreme Principle of Morality 182
The Formula of the Kingdom of Ends 183
The Formula of Humanity 183
Autonomy and Heteronomy 186
Using Kant's Theory 188
Once More: Kant on Lying 189
Kantian Ethics in Real Life 190
Freedom and Morality 193
Kant and Christianity 194
Moral Principles, Race, and Gender 195
Chapter Review 197
Summary 197
Discussion Questions 198
Key Terms 198
Key Thinkers 198
Further Reading 198
Chapter 12 Virtue Ethics: Aristotle 200
Aristotle's Moral Methodology 200
The Good Life 202
Acquiring Virtue 205
Is Virtue Natural? 206
Can Virtue Be Learned from a Book? 206
Habituation 207
Virtue, Vice, and the Golden Mean 209
The Virtues 210
The Golden Mean 212
Virtue Theory and the Mean 214
Chapter Review 216
Summary 216
Discussion Questions 217
Key Terms 217
Key Thinkers 217
Further Reading 217
Chapter 13 Challenges for Virtue Ethics 219
Criticisms of Virtue Ethics 219
Virtue Theory and Abortion 221
Do You Have a Character? 223
Aristotle on Gender and Race 226
Chapter Review 229
Summary 229
Discussion Questions 230
Key Terms 230
Key Thinkers 230
Further Reading 230
Chapter 14 The Ethics of Gender and Race 232
Gender and Race: A Review 232
The Ethics of Care 233
Jake and Amy 234
Power, Privilege, Diversity 239
The Birdcage 242
Feminism and Science 244
Morality and Power 246
Critique of Moral Philosophy 247
Beyond the Binary Divide 248
The Ethics of Race 250
Taking Action 252
Chapter Review 253
Summary 253
Key Terms 254
Key Thinkers 254
Further Reading 256
Chapter 15 Developing a Moral Outlook 258
Moral Theories 258
Learning from Moral Philosophy 259
Key Thinkers K-1
Glossary G-1
Index I-1
