The Elements of Moral Philosophy
by James Rachels, Stuart Rachels
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Book Summary Information
Author: James Rachels, Stuart RachelsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-04-24
ISBN: 0073125474
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
Book Reviews of The Elements of Moral Philosophy
Book Review: The most lucid introduction to moral philosophy
Summary: 5 Stars
I've used this book in introductory classes and highly recommend it. Rachels leans to the left (a right leaning ethical philosopher is Pojman (discovering right and wrong), but his book is not as clear).
Details
1. Rachels outlines a "minimal conception of morality" as being rational and including the principle of impartiality.
2. Superior chapter on Relativism. While embracing tolerance and condemning Nationalism and Colonialism, he outlines the following problems with relativism...a) infers what is the case from what people believe; b) prevents our condemnation of horrible practices in other cultures c) makes moral progress impossible d)assumes there is no human nature and e) in general, he shows how it does not fit our moral intuitions. I would like to see more primary sources and questions (as in MacKinnon's book) and a deeper exploration of what constitutes a culture. He also should have prefaced the chapter with a discussion of moral/reflective equilibrium...
3. His chapters on subjectivism and emotivism introduce the reader to these important issues, but he does not explore them in much depth and seems to personally struggle with explaining these issues. Nevertheless, the chapters are worth reading because they introduce the reader to the basics... his basic idea is that we would not disagree, reason, and argue about issues if we were true subjectivists or emotivists...
4. Divine Command theory/Natural Law sections are decent. Divine command theory is a)mysterious, b) arbitrary c) encourages believing acts are right/wrong for the wrong reasons, d) undetermined (what is God's Will?) e) and simply does not recognize the priority of reason. N Law allows morality to be free of religion , but bases morality on the teleological view of Nature. *Primary sources would be great here (Euthyphro) and a recognition that religion is deeper than DCT (most ethical intros are hard on religion because they are seeking a rational foundation... only religion that is rational, yet recognizes the limit of reason, seems compatible with many of these books)
5. Very clear presentation and critique of ethical and psychological egoism. Recognizing "we are on par with others is the deepest reason why we must recognize the needs of others and why e egoism fails." Also, interesting discussion of Ayn Rand.
6. Decent exposition of Utilitarianism. Spends much time on how the theory is used to defend animal rights and euthanasia (Rachels was a vegetarian). Some history and fourfold expo of Utiliarianism (consequences, amount of happiness, each person counts the same, and happiness=pleasure). Decent critique of U: (Kill one to save many? Violates principle of Justice. Pleasure does not equal happiness examples. Overdemandingness of the theory ... etc)
7. Like most intro books, he oversimplifies Kant's Theory. However his application of Kant's deontological approach to the death penalty is clear, concrete and gives the reader an overall sense of what the heck Kant is talking about.
8. Strong/short exposition of S Contract Theory and how it makes the purpose of law clear, justifies civil disobedience and dissolves the supererogatory problem. However, he points out that it is a historical fiction and excludes animals, infants, and impaired people. He then explores Virtue theory and feminist theory in a very basic way (not much depth), but enough to make one curious.He concludes strongly by noting what future ethical theories should do to CONTINUE progress in ethics (rational, modest view of humans, impartiality, reconciles impartial with personal relationships). I highly recommend this book. Once read, go to Pojman's Discovering Right and wrong for a deepening and broadening of one's ethical knowledge.
Summary of The Elements of Moral Philosophy
Firmly established as the standard text for undergraduate courses in ethics, this concise, lively book combines clear explanations of the main theories of ethics with discussions of interesting examples. Topics covered include famine relief, euthanasia, homosexuality, and the treatment of animals. The text's versatility allows it to be widely used not only in ethical theory courses, but also in applied ethics courses of all kinds. .Ethics & Morality Books
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