This is a very short introduction to ethics. It divides into three parts: first, introducing and discussing reasons for skepticism about ethics; second introducing themes of birth, death, happiness, desire and freedom to show how deeply our lives are interwoven with ethics; third, introducing attempts to found ethics, due to Aristotle, Kant, and the contractarian tradition.
Eminent philosopher Blackburn tackles the basics of ethics in this eloquent, engaging companion to his bestselling "Think." 12 halftones.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- Preface
- List of Illustrations
- Introduction
- Seven Threats to Ethics
- 1: The Threat of the Death of God
- 2: The Threat of Relativism
- 3: The Threat of Egoism
- 4: The Threat from Evolutionary Theory
- 5: The Threat of Determinism and Futility
- 6: The Threat of Unreasonable Demands
- 7: The Threat of False Consciousness
- Some Ethical Ideas
- 8: Birth
- 9: Death
- 10: Desire and the Meaning of Life
- 11: Pleasure
- 12: The Greatest Happiness of the Greatest Number
- 13: Freedom from the Bad
- 14: Freedom and Paternalism
- 15: Rights and Natural Rights
- Foundations?
- 16: Reasons and Foundations
- 17: Living Well and Doing Good
- 18: The Categorical Imperative
- 19: Contracts and Discourse
- 20: The Common Point of View
- 21: Confidence Restored
- Further Reading
- Index