A Practical Companion to Ethics

by Weston, Anthony

• ISBN13: 9780195141993
• ISBN10: 0195141997
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-07-26
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

A Practical Companion to Ethics, 2/e , is a concise and accessible introduction to the basic attitudes and skills that make ethics work, like thinking for oneself, creative and integrative problem-solving, and keeping an open mind. This unique volume illuminates the broad kinds of practical intelligence required in moral judgment, complementing the narrower theoretical considerations that often dominate ethics courses. It offers practical instruction in problem-solving by demonstrating how to frame an ethical problem and deal effectively with ethical disagreements. This book also addresses issues of the heart--the call to responsiveness and care that underlies formal ethical theories. The appendix offers an extended and specific guide to writing papers in ethics. In response to instructor and student feedback on the first edition, this second edition includes exercises at the end of each chapter; incorporates brief text boxes that define key terms and review core strategies; adds short dialogues for illustration or practice; and offers an expanded discussion of the polarization of values in Chapter Four. The optimistic tone and brisk pace of the narrative provide an entertaining and intelligent guide to "everyday" morality. Ideal for introductory courses in ethics and applied ethics, A Practical Companion to Ethics, 2/e , can also be used in any course related to critical thinking.

Author Biography

Anthony Weston teaches philosophy and environmental studies at Elon College, North Carolina, and serves as Master Teacher in Elon's Global Studies program.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	ix
Getting Started	1	(16)
Who Needs Ethics?	1	(3)
The Dogmatist and the Rationalizer	4	(4)
Ethics and Diversity	8	(9)
For Practice and Thinking	12	(2)
Notes	14	(3)
Thinking for Yourself	17	(16)
Appeals to Authority	17	(6)
A Biblical Ideal	23	(2)
The Question of Rules	25	(8)
For Practice and Thinking	29	(1)
Notes	30	(3)
Creative Problem-Solving in Ethics	33	(18)
The Need for Inventiveness in Ethics	34	(2)
How to Expand Your Options	36	(4)
How to Reframe Problems	40	(11)
For Practice and Thinking	46	(1)
Notes	47	(4)
Don't Polarize-Connect	51	(18)
``Right versus Right''	51	(2)
Pieces of the Puzzle	53	(2)
Going Ahead Together	55	(14)
For Practice and Thinking	63	(2)
Notes	65	(4)
Ethics with a Heart	69	(16)
When the Heart Closes	69	(5)
How the Heart Opens	74	(4)
The Expanding Circle	78	(7)
For Practice and Thinking	82	(1)
Notes	83	(2)
Appendix: How to Write an Ethics Paper	85