Contemporary Moral Problems

by White, James

• ISBN13: 9780840033789
• ISBN10: 0840033788
• Edition: 10th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-01
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

Explore today's challenging moral terrain with James White's CONTEMPORARY MORAL PROBLEMS. The tenth edition examines the compelling and contentious debate over society's most pressing ethical controversies. This anthology covers divergent viewpoints on many timely issues and introduces students to the major theories in the history of Western ethics. This balanced collection features carefully chosen readings on classic topics such as abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment. It also engages students in current debates about the financial crisis, world poverty and hunger, same-sex marriage, vegetarianism, war and terrorism, torture, and assassination. Twenty new reading selections ensure up-to-date coverage of contemporary moral issues. This book's well-crafted introductions to each chapter and reading; emphasis on opposing viewpoints; probing review and discussion questions; and provocative case studies allow students to develop a rich understanding of ethical theories and the issues to which they apply. Depend on this accessible, comprehensive anthology to engage your students in a lively and informed discussion of contemporary ethics.

Table of Contents

Preface

Ethical Theories

Introduction

Egoism and Moral Skepticism

Religion, Morality, and Conscience

The Natural Law

Morality is based on Sentiment

Trying Out One's New Sword

Utilitarianism

The Categorical Imperative

Happiness and Virtue

A Theory of Justice

What is Feminist Ethics?

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

Abortion

Introduction

The U.S. Supreme Court: Excerpts from Roe v. Wade (1973)

An Almost Absolute Value in History

A Defense of Abortion

On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion

An Argument that Abortion is Wrong

The Egg and I: Conception, Identity, and Abortion

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

Euthanasia And The Duty To Die

Introduction

Active and Passive Euthanasia

The Intentional Termination of Life

Voluntary Active Euthanasia

Is There a Duty to Die?

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

Capital Punishment

Introduction

The U.S. Supreme Court: Gregg v. Georgia (1976)

Immanuel Kant: The Retributive Theory of Punishment

Ernest van den Haag: The Ultimate Punishment

Jeffrey H. Reiman: Against the Death Penalty

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

Same-Sex Marriage

Introduction

Is it Wrong to Discriminate on the Basis of Homosexuality?

Same-Sex Marriage and the Argument From

Public Disagreement

Who Needs Marriage?

What Marriage is For

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

Animal Liberation And Vegetarianism

Introduction

Our Duties to Animals

All Animals Are Equal

Speciesism and the Idea of Equality

Puppies, Pigs, and People: Eating

Meat and Marginal Cases

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

World Poverty And Hunger

Introduction

World Poverty and Hunger

Antipoverty Warriors

Famine, Affluence, and Morality

Living on a Lifeboat

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

Financial Crisis

Introduction

The Descent of Money

From Financial Crisis to World Slump

The Return of Depression Economics

Meet the Hazzards

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

War And Terrorism

Introduction

Pacifism

Just War Principles

The Slippery Slope to Preventive War

The Terrorist's Tacit Message

What Is Wrong with Terrorism?

The War on Terrorism and the End of Human Rights

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

Torture

Introduction

The Case for Torturing the Ticking Bomb TerroriSt

Liberalism, Torture and the Ticking Bomb

The Case for Dirty Harry and against Alan Dershowitz

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

Assassination

Introduction

Rethinking the Ban on Assassination: Just War Principles in the Age of Terror

Targeted Killing

Problem Cases

Suggested Readings

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.