What Is Ethics? Where Does It Come From? Can We Really Hope To Find Any Rational Way Of Deciding How We Ought To Live? If We Can, What Would It Be Like, And How Are We Going To Know When We Have Found It? This Book Is Not A Conventional Reader In Moral Philosophy. To Capture The Essentials Of What We Know About The Origins And Nature Of Ethics, Peter Singer Has Drawn On Anthropology, History, Observations Of Non-human Animals, The Theory Of Evolution, Game Theory, And Works Of Fiction, In Addition To Moral Philosophy. By Choosing Some Of The Finest Pieces Of Writing, Old And New, In And About Ethics, He Conveys The Intellectual Excitement Of The Search For Answers To Basic Questions About How We Ought To Live. Part I: The Nature Of Ethics: It's Origins, Variations, And Basis -- A. The Long Search For The Origins Of Ethics -- Morality As The Advantage Of The Stronger: A Debate Between Socrates And Thrasymachus / Plato -- Moral Virtue, How Produced / Aristotle -- Are Humans Good By Nature? A Debate Between Chinese Sages / Mencius -- Of The Natural Condition Of Mankind And The Laws Of Nature / Thomas Hobbes -- The Natural State Of Man / Jean-jacques Rousseau -- Affection Of Humanity: The Foundation Of Morals / David Hume -- The Noble Descent Of Duty / Immanuel Kant -- The Material Basis Of Morality / Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels -- The Origin Of The Moral Sense / Charles Darwin -- The Origins Of Herd Morality / Friedrich Nietzsche -- The Cultural Super-ego / Sigmund Freud -- In A Different Voice / Carol Gilligan. B. Common Themes In Primate Ethics -- 1. Kinship -- Helping Kin In Chimpanzees / Jane Goodwill -- A Universal Duty / Edward Westermarck -- The Genetic Basis Of Kinship / David Barash -- 2. Reciprocity -- Chimpanzee Justice / Frans De Waal -- Live And Let Live / Tony Ashworth -- Reciprocal Gift-giving Among The!kung / Lorna Marshall -- The Kula Ring / Bruno Malinowski -- A Single Word / Confucius -- The Law Of Hammurabi -- Turn The Other Cheek / Jesus -- The Whole Torah, While Standing On One Foot / Hillel -- The Evolution Of Reciprocal Altruism / Robert Trivers -- Tit For Tat / Robert Axelrod -- 3. Sexual Morality -- Incest Avoidance Among Chimpanzees / Jane Goodall -- The Horror Of Incest / Edward Westermarck -- The Social Rules Of Chimpanzee Sex / Frans De Waal -- Adultery Among The!kung / Lorna Marshall -- Incest And Adultery / The Bible -- A Commentary On The Sixth Commandment / Martin Luther -- The Double Standard / Donals Symons. C. The Role Of Reason -- Reason And Passion / David Hume -- Pure Practical Reason And The Moral Law / Immanuel Kant -- Adding Ethical Substance To Kant's Empty Formalism / G.w.f. Hegel -- The Axioms Of Ethics / Henry Sidgwick -- Society The School, Custom The Headmaster / Edward Westermarck -- A Lecture On Ethics / Ludwig Wittgenstein -- Ethics For Logical Positivists / A.j. Ayer -- Condemned To Be Free / Jean-paul Sartre -- The Objective Basis Of Morality / Thomas Nagel -- The Argument From Queerness / J.l. Mackie -- Evolution And The Basis Of Morality / Colin Mcginn -- Reason, Gender, And Moral Theory / Virginia Held -- Realism / Michael Smith. Part Ii: The Content Of Ethics: Judging Good Outcomes And Right Acts -- A. Ultimate Good -- The Ceasing Of Woe / The Buddha -- The End For Human Nature / Aristotle -- The Pursuit Of Pleasure / Epicurus -- A Stoic View Of Life / Epictetus -- The Sermon On The Mount / Jesus -- The Saints Of The Desert / W.e.h. Lecky -- Story Of A Good Brahmin / Voltaire -- Push-pin And Poetry / Jeremy Bentham -- Higher And Lower Pleasures / John Stuart Mill -- Good As The Satisfaction Of Demands / William James -- Desirable Consciousness / Henry Sidgwick -- Beauty And Friendship / G.e. Moore -- Truth And Ahimsa / M.k. Gandhi -- The Right To Be Unhappy / Aldous Huxley -- The Myth Of Sisyphus / Albert Camus -- The Experience Machine / Robert Nozick -- The Basic Values / John Finnis -- What Makes Someone's Life Go Best / Derek Parfit. B. Deciding What Is Right -- 1. Natural Law, Natural Rights -- A. The Theory -- Of The Natural Law / Thomas Aquinas -- Our Rights In The State Of Nature / John Locke -- Declaration On Euthanasia / The Vatican -- Absolute Human Rights / John Finnis -- The Rationality Of Side Constraints / Robert Nozick -- Moral Aspects Of Sterility Tests / Gerald Kelly -- B. Criticism -- Provincial Letters / Blaise Pascal -- Natural Rights / Jeremy Bentham -- On Nature / John Stuart Mill -- 2. Kant's Ethics Of Duty -- A. The Theory -- The Categorical Imperative / Immanuel Kant -- On A Supposed Right To Lie From Altruistic Motives / Immanuel Kant -- B. Criticism -- Maria Von Herbert's Challenge To Kant / Rae Langton -- The Conscience Of Huckleberry Finn / Jonathan Bennett -- 3. Consequentialism -- A. The Theory -- The Principle Of Utility / Jeremy Bentham -- The Archbishop And The Chambermald / William Godwin -- Issues For Utilitarians / Henry Sidgwick -- Desert Island Promises / J.j.c. Smart -- The Structure Of Ethics And Morals / R.m. Hare -- B. Criticism -- Ivan's Challenge / Fyodor Dostoevsky -- The Personal Character Of Duty / W.d. Ross -- The Separateness Of Persons / John Rawls -- Jim And The Indians / Bernard Williams -- Moral Saints / Susan Wolf. 4. Contract Ethics -- A. The Theory -- The Main Idea Of The Theory Of Justice / John Rawls -- Why Contractarianism? / David Gauthier -- B. Criticism -- Duties Concerning Islands / Mary Midgley -- Epilogue -- How Both Human History And The History Of Ethics May Be Just Beginning / Derek Parfit -- Select Biography. Edited By Peter Singer. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

Political thought

edited by Peter Singer

Singer, Peter, 1946-

IRL Press at Oxford University Press

Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

German Historical Institute London

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

Oxford readers, New York, 1999

1, PS, 1994

Obscured text on back cover due to sticker attached.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [393]-396) and index.

What is ethics? Where does it come from? Can we really hope to find any rational way of deciding how we ought to live? If we can, what would it be like, and how are we going to know when we have found it? To capture the essentials of what we know about the origins and nature of ethics, Peter Singer has drawn on anthropology, evolution, game theory, and works of fiction, in addition to the classic moral philosophy of such thinkers as Nietzsche, Kant, and Confucius. By choosing some of the finest pieces of writing, old and new, in and about ethics, he conveys the intellectual excitement of the search for answers to basic questions about how we ought to live. From the debates of Socrates and the profound writing of Rousseau to Jane Goodall's reflections on the ethics of chimpanzee kinship and Luther's commentary on the Sixth Commandment (thou shalt not kill), this engaging reader offers a complete and thorough introduction to the fascinating world of ethical debate.

Political Thought provides 140 key writings on political thought, covering issues regarding human nature and its relation to society, the extent to which the powers of the State are justified, the tension between liberty and rights, and the way resources should be distributed. Topics such as international relations, minority fights, democracy, socialism, and conservatism are also discussed by contributors ranging from Plato and Aristotle to Foucault, Isaiah Berlin, and Martin Luther King.

x, 415 p. ; 22 cm
Includes bibliographical references (p. [393]-396) and index

74. Immanuel Kant, on a supposed right to lie from altruistic motives

35. G.W.F. Hegel, adding ethical substance to Kant's empty formalism

8. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the material basis of morality

37. Edward Westermarck, society the school, custom the headmaster

6. David Hume, Affection of humanity : the foundation of morlas

4. Thomas Hobbes, of the natural condition of mankind and the

90. Derek Parfit, how both human history and the history of

34. Emmanuel Kant, pure practical reason and the moral law

18. Lorna Marshall, reciprocal gift-giving among the!Kung

24. Robert Trivers, the evolution of reciprocal altruism

76. Jonathan Bennett, the conscience of Huckleberry Finn

55. William James, good as the satisfaction of demands

68. Robert Nozick, the rationality of side constraints

75. Rae Langton, Maria von Herbert's challenge to Kant

78. William Godwin, the Archbishop and the chambermaid

87. John Rawls, the main idea of the theory of justice

10. Friedrich Nietzsche, the origins of herd morality

43. Colin McGinn, evolution and the basis of morality

63. Derek Parfit, what makes someone's life go best?

44. Virginia Held, reason, gender, and moral theory

69. Gerald Kelly, moral aspects of sterility tests

5. Jean-Jaques Rousseau, the natural state of man

41. Thomas Nagel, the objective basis of morality

65. John Locke, our rights in the state of nature

81. R.M. Hare, the structure of ethics and morals

9. Charles Darwin, the origin of the moral sense

54. John Stuart Mill, higher and lower pleasures

15. David Barash, the genetic basis of kinship

39. A.J. Ayer, ethics for logical positivists

73. Immanuel Kant, the categorical imperative

83. W.D. Ross, the personal character of duty

38. Ludwig Wittgenstein, a lecture on ethics

42. J.L. Mackie, the argument from queerness

77. Jeremy Bentham, the principle of utility

7. Immanuel Kant, the noble descent of duty

56. Henry Sidgwick, desirable consciousness

79. Henry Sidgwick, issues for utilitarians

84. John Rawls, the separateness of persons

89. Mary Midgley, duties concerning islands

40. Jean-Paul Sartre, condemned to be free

51. W.E.H. Lecky, the saints of the desert

59. Aldous Huxley, the right to be unhappy

66. The Vatican, declaration on euthanasia

61. Robert Nozick, the experience machine

85. Bernard Williams, Jim and the Indians

88. David Gauthier, why contractarianism?

14. Edward Westermarck, a universal duty

36. Henry Sidgwick, the axioms of ethics

80. J.J.C. Smart, desert island promises

47. Aristotle, the end for human nature

53. Jeremy Bentham, push-pin and poetry

82. Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ivan's challenge

60. Albert Camus, the myth of Sisyphus

64. Thomas Aquinas, of the natural law

67. John Finnis, absolute human rights

16. Frans de Waal, chimpanzee justice

48. Epicurus, the pursuit of pleasure

52. Voltaire, story of a good Brahmin

57. G.E. Moore, beauty and friendship

70. Blaise Pascal, provincial letters

17. Tony Ashworth, live and let die

19. Bruno Malinowski, the Kula king

49. Epictetus, a stoic view of life

26. David Hume, reason and passion

46. The Buddha, the ceasing of woe

50. Jesus, the sermon on the mount

71. Jeremy Bentham, natural rights

58. M.K. Gandhi, truth and ahimsa

62. John Finnis, the basic values

25. Robert Axelrod, tit for tat

72. John Stuart Mill, on nature

20. Confucius, a single word

86. Susan Wolf, moral saints

45. Michael Smith, realism

2023-06-28