Ethics in Context The Art of Dealing with Serious Questions

by Bö; hme, Gernot; Jephcott, Edmund

• ISBN13: 9780745626390
• ISBN10: 0745626394
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-11-28
• Publisher: Polity

Summary

In this clear and accessible book, Gernot B & ouml;hme places philosophical ethics in the context of our individual and social lives. Arguing against the conception of ethics as a body of knowledge, B & ouml;hme defines morality as a matter of & ls"serious questions'. In the case of an individual, a serious question is one that determines that person's mode of living. In the case of society, a serious question is one that shapes our social norms.In Ethics in Context, B & ouml;hme explores the key areas of moral living and moral discourse. He examines some of the urgent issues affecting society today, such as the moral implications of reproductive technology, man's mastery over nature and the right of citizenship.This book is a lucid and engaging guide to ethics, which will be of great interest to students of philosophy and, indeed, to all those interested in the subject.

Author Biography

Gernot B÷hme is Professor of Philosophy at the Technical University of Darmstadt.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii
Introduction	1	(22)
From a Critique to a New Approach: Serious Questions	1	(10)
Themes of Ethics	11	(12)
The Context of Moral Living and Argumentation	23	(51)
The State of Civilization	23	(11)
Our Historical Background	34	(14)
Basic Moral Ideas	48	(11)
Human Rights, Fundamental Rights	59	(15)
The Moral Life	74	(41)
Skills for Moral Living	74	(14)
Being-human-well	88	(13)
Play and Seriousness	101	(14)
Moral Argumentation	115	(48)
Moral Questions Concerning External Nature	115	(16)
Moral Questions Concerning the Nature We Ourselves Are	131	(17)
Moral Problems in Dealing with Foreigners	148	(15)
Summary	163	(4)
Notes	167	(10)
Index	177