Ethics Theory and Contemporary Issues (with InfoTrac)

by MacKinnon, Barbara

• ISBN13: 9780534546328
• ISBN10: 0534546323
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-07-12
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
History of Ethics Time Line	x
PART ONE ETHICAL THEORY	1	(128)
Ethics and Ethical Reasoning	2	(22)
Why Study Ethics?	2	(1)
What Is Ethics?	3	(1)
Ethics and Religion	4	(1)
Ethical and Other Types of Evaluation	5	(1)
Ethics and Reasons	6	(1)
Ethical Reasoning and Arguments	7	(2)
Ethical Theory	9	(1)
Types of Ethical Theory	10	(1)
Can Ethics Be Taught?	11	(11)
Readings
Euthyphro	12	(4)
Plato
Meno	16	(6)
Plato
Review Exercises	22	(1)
Selected Bibliography	23	(1)
Ethical Relativism	24	(11)
What Is Ethical Relativism?	24	(1)
Two Forms of Ethical Relativism	25	(1)
Reasons Supporting Ethical Relativism	25	(1)
Are These Reasons Convincing?	26	(2)
Further Considerations	28	(1)
Moral Realism	29	(1)
Moral Pluralism	29	(5)
Reading
Trying Out One's New Sword	31	(3)
Mary Midgley
Review Exercises	34	(1)
Selected Bibliography	35	(1)
Egoism	35	(13)
Psychological Egoism	36	(1)
Ethical Egoism	37	(2)
The Moral Point of View	39	(1)
Why Be Moral?	40	(6)
Reading
Self Love	42	(4)
Thomas Hobbes
Review Exercises	46	(1)
Selected Bibliography	47	(1)
Utilitarianism	48	(18)
Historical Background	48	(1)
The Principle of Utility	49	(3)
Quantity and Quality of Pleasure	52	(1)
Evaluating Utilitarianism	53	(1)
Act and Rule Utilitarianism	54	(1)
``Proof'' of the Theory	55	(1)
Contemporary Versions	56	(8)
Reading
Utilitarianism	59	(5)
John Stuart Mill
Review Exercises	64	(1)
Selected Bibliography	65	(1)
Kant's Moral Theory	66	(22)
Historical Background: Immanuel Kant	66	(1)
What Gives an Act Moral Worth?	67	(2)
The Categorical Imperative	69	(2)
Evaluating Kant's Moral Theory	71	(2)
Perfect and Imperfect Duties	73	(1)
Variations on Kantian Moral Theory	74	(14)
Reading
Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals	76	(10)
Immanuel Kant
Review Exercises	86	(1)
Selected Bibliography	87	(1)
Naturalism and Virtue Ethics	88	(21)
Virtue Ethics	88	(3)
Natural Law Theory	91	(6)
Readings
The Nicomachean Ethics	97	(7)
Aristotle
Second Treatise of Civil Government	104	(2)
John Locke
Review Exercises	106	(1)
Selected Bibliography	107	(2)
Feminist Thought and the Ethics of Care	109	(20)
An Ethics of Care	109	(4)
Feminist Thought	113	(2)
Evaluation of Feminist Thought and the Ethics of Care	115	(12)
Readings
Caring	117	(3)
Nel Noddings
The Need for More than Justice	120	(7)
Annette Baier
Review Exercises	127	(1)
Selected Bibliography	127	(2)
PART TWO ETHICAL ISSUES	129	(340)
Euthanasia	130	(33)
Brain Death	130	(1)
Meaning and Types of Euthanasia	131	(6)
Morality and the Law	137	(1)
Making Moral Judgments About Euthanasia	137	(4)
Infant Euthanasia	141	(19)
Readings
The Wrongfulness of Euthanasia	144	(3)
J. Gay-Williams
Active and Passive Euthanasia	147	(4)
James Rachels
Buddhist Views of Suicide and Euthanasia	151	(9)
Carl B. Becker
Review Exercises	160	(2)
Selected Bibliography	162	(1)
Abortion	163	(38)
Stages of Fetal Development	164	(1)
Methods of Abortion	164	(1)
Abortion and the Law	165	(2)
Abortion: The Moral Question	167	(1)
Arguments That Do Not Depend on the Fetal-Personhood Issue	167	(2)
Arguments That Depend on the Fetal-Personhood Issue	169	(29)
Readings
A Defense of Abortion	175	(11)
Judith Jarvis Thomson
Abortion and the Sexual Agenda: A Case for Prolife Feminism	186	(6)
Sidney Callahan
Planned Parenthood v. Casey	192	(6)
Justices O'Connor
Kennedy
Souter
Review Exercises	198	(1)
Selected Bibliography	199	(2)
Sexual Morality and Pornography	201	(35)
Conceptual Problems: What Is and Is Not Sexual	202	(1)
Relevant Factual Matters	203	(1)
Sexual Morality and Ethical Theories	204	(3)
Pornography	207	(1)
Liberty-Limiting Principles	208	(5)
Feminism and Pornography	213	(20)
Readings
Sexual Perversion	215	(7)
Thomas Nagel
Prejudice and Homosexuality	222	(6)
Richard D. Mohr
Pornography, Civil Rights, and Speech	228	(5)
Catharine MacKinnon
Review Exercises	233	(2)
Selected Bibliography	235	(1)
Equality and Discrimination	236	(33)
Civil Rights Laws: A Brief History	239	(1)
Racism and Sexism	240	(1)
The Principle of Equality	241	(4)
Affirmative Action and Preferential Treatment	245	(20)
Readings
On Racism and Sexism: Realities and Ideals	251	(7)
Richard A. Wasserstorm
Reverse Discrimination as Unjustified	258	(3)
Lisa Newton
Affirmative Action and Fairness	261	(4)
Robert K. Fullinwider
Review Exercises	265	(2)
Selected Bibliography	267	(2)
Economic Justice	269	(51)
Process or End State Distributive Justice	271	(1)
Equal Opportunity	272	(1)
Four Political and Economic Theories	273	(1)
John Rawls's Theory of Justice	274	(4)
International Issues of Economic Justice	278	(39)
Readings
Justice as Fairness	284	(10)
John Rawls
Distributive Justice	294	(9)
Robert Nozick
Famine, Affluence, and Morality	303	(8)
Peter Singer
Human Rights, Development, and ``Asian Values''	311	(6)
Xiaorong Li
Review Exercises	317	(1)
Selected Bibliography	318	(2)
Legal Punishment	320	(36)
The Nature of Legal Punishment	322	(1)
The Deterrence Argument	322	(1)
Problematic Aspects	323	(1)
The Retributivist Argument	324	(1)
Problematic Aspects	325	(1)
Punishment and Responsibility	326	(1)
The Death Penalty	327	(26)
Readings
A World Without Punishment	331	(9)
Hugo Adam Bedau
The Ultimate Punishment: A Defense	340	(5)
Ernest van den Haag
This Man Has Expired: Witness to an Execution	345	(8)
Robert Johnson
Review Exercises	353	(2)
Selected Bibliography	355	(1)
Environmental Ethics	356	(39)
The Environment	357	(1)
Value	357	(1)
Anthropocentrism	358	(3)
Ecocentrism	361	(2)
Deep Ecology	363	(1)
Ecofeminism	364	(1)
Sustainable Development	365	(27)
Readings
People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution	368	(4)
William F. Baxter
Humans Valuing the Natural Environment	372	(10)
Holmes Rolston III
Deep Ecology	382	(10)
Bill Devall
George Sessions
Review Exercises	392	(1)
Selected Bibliography	393	(2)
Animal Rights	395	(25)
Sentience	396	(1)
Animal Rights	397	(2)
Animal Experimentation	399	(2)
Endangered Species	401	(17)
Readings
All Animals Are Equal	403	(8)
Peter Singer
Speciesism and the Idea of Equality	411	(7)
Bonnie Steinbock
Review Exercises	418	(1)
Selected Bibliography	419	(1)
Violence, Terrorism, and War	420	(21)
Violence	420	(1)
Terrorism	421	(1)
Pacifism	422	(1)
Just War Theory	423	(3)
War Crimes and Universal Human Rights	426	(12)
Readings
Violence, Terrorism, and Justice	429	(5)
R. G. Frey
Christopher W. Morris
Nonviolence and the Theory of War	434	(4)
Michael Walzer
Review Exercises	438	(1)
Selected Bibliography	439	(2)
Technology and the Professions	441	(28)
Science	441	(2)
Medicine	443	(3)
Engineering	446	(1)
Information Systems and Computer Ethics	447	(3)
Business	450	(14)
Readings
Ethics, Legal Ethics, and the Ethics of Law	455	(7)
Susan Wolf
American Nurses' Association Code for Nurses	462	(1)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Code of Ethics for Engineers	463	(1)
Review Exercises	464	(2)
Selected Bibliography	466	(3)
APPENDIX How to Write an Ethics Paper	469	(13)
The Content of the Paper	469	(1)
The Paper's Structure	470	(2)
Types of Ethics Papers	472	(2)
Is It an Ethics Paper?	474	(1)
Structuring or Analyzing an Ethical Argument	474	(2)
Sample Ethics Papers	476	(6)
Index	482