Ethical Choices: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy with Cases

379 Pages·2018·3.688 MB·English

by  Richard Burnor, Yvonne Raley

Ethical Choices
An Introduction to Moral Philosophy
with Cases

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Ethical Choices
An Introduction to Moral Philosophy
with Cases

RICHARD BURNOR
Felician University
YVONNE RALEY
SECOND EDITION
New York Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s
objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a
registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries.
Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America.
© 2018 by Oxford University Press
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
http://www.oup.com
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford
University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the
appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope
of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Burnor, Richard, author. | Raley, Yvonne, author.
Title: Ethical choices : an introduction to moral philosophy with cases /
   Richard Burnor, Felician College, Yvonne Raley, Felician College.
Description: Second [edition]. | New York : Oxford University Press, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016049781| ISBN 9780190464509 (student edition) | ISBN
   9780190464516 (instructor's edition) | ISBN 9780190464530 (course website)
   | ISBN 9780190464547 (instructor's manual (arc))
Subjects: LCSH: Ethics—Textbooks. | Ethical problems—Textbooks.
Classification: LCC BJ1012 .B755 2017 | DDC 170—dc23
   LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016049781
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed by LSC Communications Inc.
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To the reader, whose intrinsic moral worth has been and
continues to be our most important reason for writing this book.
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BRIEF CONTENTS

preface xv
guidelines xxiii
part i I NTRODUCTION: THEORY
AND PRACTICE 1
Chapter One Ethics and Values 5
Chapter Two Moral Relativism 25
Chapter Three Personal Autonomy and Moral Agency 46
Chapter Four Making Moral Judgments 70
Chapter Five Moral Psychology and Egoism 87
part ii ETHICAL THEORIES AND
PERSPECTIVES 107
Chapter Six Consequentialist Ethics: Act Utilitarianism 111
Chapter Seven Consequentialist Ethics: Rule Utilitarianism 134
Chapter Eight Deontological Ethics 150
Chapter Nine Natural Law Theory 178
Chapter Ten Social Contracts and Rights 198
Chapter Eleven Virtue Ethics 223
Chapter Twelve Feminism and Care Ethics 249
Chapter Thirteen Ethics and Religion 276
vii
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viii BRIEF CONTENTS
part iii I NTRODUCTION:
ETHICAL PLURALISM 297
Chapter Fourteen Pluralism in Theoretical and Applied Ethics 301
glossary 337
index 348
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CONTENTS

preface xv
guidelines xxiii
part i INTRODUCTION: THEORY AND
PRACTICE 1
Chapter One Ethics and Values 5
I. Extraordinary and Ordinary Morals 5
II. The Nature of Values 8
III. Moral vs. Non-Moral Values 10
IV. Foundational and Instrumental Values 14
V. Explanation and Foundational Values 15
Chapter Assignment Questions 18
Case 1: Breastfeeding in Public 19
Case 2: The Real Price of Coffee 20
Case 3: Jurassic Kitty: Should I Clone My Cat? 22
Case 4: Sex Selection 23
Chapter Two Moral Relativism 25
I. Introduction 25
II. Three Views of Ethics 26
III*. *Evaluating Subjectivism 28
IV. Supporting Popular Relativism 30
V. Against Relativism 33
VI. A Matter of Tolerance 36
ix
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