Ethical Choices

Ideal for students with little or no background in philosophy, Ethical Choices: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy with Cases provides a concise, balanced, and highly accessible introduction to ethics. Featuring an especially lucid and engaging writing style, the text surveys a wide range of ethical theories and perspectives including consequentialist ethics, deontological ethics, natural and virtue ethics, the ethics of care, and ethics and religion. Each chapter of Ethical Choices also includes compelling case studies that are carefully matched with the theoretical material. Many of these cases address issues that students can relate directly to their own lives: the drinking age, student credit card debt, zero tolerance policies, grade inflation, and video games. Other cases discuss current topics like living wills, obesity, human trafficking, torture "lite," universal health care, and just-war theory. The cases provide students with practice in addressing real-life moral choices, as well as opportunities to evaluate the usefulness and applicability of each ethical theory. Every case study concludes with a set of Thought Questions to guide students as they reflect upon the issues raised by that case. Ethical Choices is enhanced by several pedagogical features. These include summaries at the end of each section, lists of key terms, questions For Reflection and Discussion at the end of each chapter, Guidelines for a Case Study Analysis, and suggestions For Further Reading that include Internet sources. Starred sections indicate more advanced material that may be included at the instructor's discretion. A companion website at www.oup.com/us/burnor contains additional resources for both students and instructors: chapter outlines, flashcards of key terms, sets of Helpful Hints to further aid students in mastering the material, and an additional chapter on our Moral Obligations Towards the Future.
"The discussions of the standard arguments in moral theory are without exception clear and accurate. The case studies are engaging and will without a doubt be pedagogically useful. Students will be left with a profound sense of the complexity of moral reasoning."--Robert Talisse, VanderbiltUniversity

"This text is clearly superior . . . in nearly every respect. The authors' commitment to looking at each side of the issue is really quite impressive and exactly what is needed to develop our students' ability to think less one-sidedly. I would be quite likely to adopt this text. I, like many, have long-waited an alternative to Rachels: The Elements of Moral Philosophy. I believe that this may be it."--Sarah Black Jones, Northern Michigan University

EACH CHAPTER INCLUDES A "FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION" SECTION; Introduction: On the Practical Importance of Ethics; PART I: INTRODUCING ETHICS; CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF MORALITY; I. What is Ethics?; II. Moral Claims; III. Non-Moral Normative Claims; IV. Characterizing Moral Claims; CHAPTER TWO: MORAL AND NON-MORAL VALUES; I. The Role of Values; II. Fundamental and Instrumental Values; III. Explanation and Fundamental Values; Values Exercise; CHAPTER THREE: PERSONAL AUTONOMY AND MORAL AGENCY; I. Introduction; II. Personal Autonomy; III. Exercising Moral Agency; IV. Value-Free and Value-Guided Autonomy; CHAPTER FOUR: MORAL RELATIVISM; I. Introduction; II. The Claims of Moral Relativism; III. Evaluating Subjectivism; IV. Considerations in Support of Popular Relativism; V. Arguments against Relativism; VI. A Matter of Tolerance; VII. Can Moral Relativism Supply Something that Objectivism Cannot?; CHAPTER FIVE: MORAL REASONING AND ETHICAL THEORIES; I. Introduction; II. Moral Reasoning, Principles and Judgments; III. Fundamental Moral Principles; IV. Ethical Theories and their Assessment; PART II: A SURVEY OF ETHICAL THEORIES AND PERSPECTIVES; CHAPTER SIX: CONSEQUENTIALIST ETHICS: EGOISM; I. Introduction; II. Hedonism and Consequentialism; III. Utility and Mill's Account of Qualities; IV. Ethical Egoism; V. Psychological Egoism; CHAPTER SEVEN: CONSEQUENTIALIST ETHICS: ACT UTILITARIANISM; I. Introduction; II. The Theory of Act Utilitarianism; III. Considerations Supporting Act Utilitarianism; IV. Problems with Act Utilitarianism; V. Beyond Classical Utilitarianism; CHAPTER EIGHT: CONSEQUENTIALIST ETHICS: RULE UTILITARIANISM; I. Introduction; II. Rule Utilitarianism; III. Comparing Rule Utilitarianism and Act Utilitarianism; IV. Problems with Rule Utilitarianism; V. The Issue of Justice; CHAPTER NINE: DEONTOLOGICAL ETHICS; I. Introduction; II. Ross's Ethics; III. Kant's Theory - the Good Will; IV. Kant's Categorical Imperative: Principle of Ends; V. Kant's Categorical Imperative: Principle of Universal Law; VI. Kant's Categorical Imperative: Principle of Autonomy; VII. Criticisms of Kantian Ethics; CHAPTER TEN: NATURAL ETHICS: NATURAL LAW AND NATURAL RIGHTS; I. Introduction; II. Natural Law Theory; III. Addressing Moral Conflicts; IV. Some Problems for Natural Law Theory; V. Natural Rights; VI. Some Distinctions; VII. Some Concerns with Rights; CHAPTER ELEVEN: VIRTUE ETHICS; I. Introduction; II. A Critique of Principle-based Ethics; III. The Heart of Virtue Ethics; IV. Aristotle's Virtue Ethics; V. Classifying the Virtues; VI. Criticisms of Virtue Ethics; CHAPTER TWELVE: THE ETHICS OF CARE; I. Introduction; II. The Development of Care Ethics; III. Foundations for an Ethics of Care; IV. Care Theory and Virtue Ethics; V. A Blueprint for Reform; VI. Objections and Problems; VII. A Concluding Reflection; CHAPTER THIRTEEN: ETHICS AND RELIGION; I. Introduction; II. The Autonomy Thesis and Religion; III. Divine Command Theory; IV. An Alternate Dependency Account; V. Objections and Elaborations; VI. The Alternate Dependency Account and Completeness; CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ETHICS AND PRACTICE; I. In Search of a Comprehensive Ethical Account; II. The Practical Dimension: Making Moral Choices