A Practical Companion to Ethics

by Weston, Anthony

• ISBN13: 9780195189902
• ISBN10: 0195189906
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-12-22
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

A Practical Companion to Ethics, Third Edition, is a concise andaccessible introduction to the basic attitudes and skills that make ethics work,like thinking for oneself, creative and integrative problem-solving, and keepingan open mind. This unique volume illuminates the broad kinds of practicalintelligence required in moral judgment, complementing the narrower theoreticalconsiderations that often dominate ethics courses. It offers practicalinstruction in problem-solving by demonstrating how to frame an ethical problemand deal effectively with ethical disagreements. The book also presents ethicsas an ongoing learning experience, helping students to deal with both thecomplexities of their individual lives and with the larger issues that exist inthe world around them.The third edition retains the most popular features of the previousedition, including challenging and relevant end-of-chapter exercises; brief textboxes that define key terms and review core strategies; and short dialogues thatillustrate ethical dilemmas. The optimistic tone and brisk pace of the narrativeprovide an entertaining and intelligent guide to "everyday" morality. The thirdedition includes a more extensive treatment of ethics and religion (Chapter 2),which provides the framework for a moral dialogue that reaches across sectariandivides. It also contains a revised final chapter on the continuously unfoldingnature of ethical understanding and an expanded appendix that gives detailedadvice on writing various types of ethics papers. Ideal for introductory coursesin ethics and applied ethics, A Practical Companion to Ethics, Third Edition,can also be used in any course related to critical thinking.

Table of Contents

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION	vii
INTRODUCTION	xi
1 GETTING STARTED	1	(16)
Who Needs Ethics?	1	(3)
The Dogmatist and the Rationalizer	4	(4)
Ethics and Diversity	8	(4)
For Practice and Thinking	12	(2)
Notes	14	(3)
2 ETHICS AND RELIGION	17	(14)
Coming to Terms	17	(3)
Let the Stories Be Stories	20	(2)
Thinking for Yourself	22	(4)
For Practice and Thinking	26	(3)
Notes	29	(2)
3 CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING IN ETHICS	31	(16)
The Need for Inventiveness in Ethics	32	(2)
How to Expand Your Options	34	(4)
How to Reframe Problems	38	(6)
For Practice and Thinking	44	(1)
Notes	45	(2)
4 DON'T POLARIZE—CONNECT	47	(18)
"Right versus Right"	47	(2)
Pieces of the Puzzle	49	(2)
Going Ahead Together	51	(8)
For Practice and Thinking	59	(2)
Notes	61	(4)
5 THE ONGOING JOURNEY	65	(16)
Ethics as a Learning Experience	65	(2)
Looking Farther	67	(5)
The Expanding Circle	72	(5)
For Practice and Thinking	77	(1)
Notes	78	(3)
APPENDIX: WRITING AN ETHICS PAPER	81
Four Kinds of Writing in Ethics	81	(4)
Making a Case	85	(4)
Two Quick Examples	89	(5)
Resources	94