Ethics: Selections from Classical and Contemporary Writers

by Oliver A. Johnson, Andrews Reath

The most important moral philosophers of the Western tradition all in one place! Chronologically organized to illuminate each writer's role in the history of ethics, the book's comprehensive coverage fosters a firm grasp of ideas in the history of Western moral philosophy, as well as contemporary moral philosophy. Selections from the contemporary period are designed to highlight the continuity between the history of moral philosophy and contemporary moral theory. The collection includes an introduction to ethical theory, introductions to each of the major historical periods, brief introductions to each selection, and new study tools to help focus your reading.

Genres: Philosophy

576 pages, Paperback

First published January 21, 2011

About the author

Dr. Oliver A. Johnson, Ph.D. (Yale University, 1951; B.A., Linfield College, 1944) was a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, until his retirement in 1989, and longtime activist in the UC Academic Senate. Dr. Johnson concentrated on fundamental philosophic issues, establishing an international reputation for his work in ethics (particularly normative ethics and metaethics) and epistemology.

The Oliver Johnson Award is given out biennially to a member of the UC faculty who has performed outstanding service to the Academic Senate. Its broader goal is to honor all members of faculty (including Emeriti/ae Senate members) who have contributed their time and talent to the Senate. The award carries a small honorarium for the faculty member who receives it and is presented at the Annual Academic Council dinner.

Reviews

[Aria Izik-Dzurko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it lame to add a school textbook to my book list? I don’t know, but this was genuinely the most interesting schoolwork I have ever been given. I will continue to reference it for a long while to come.

[Belle Meade School]

170

[Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really a collection of essays on moral philosophy. What I really appreciated about this collection was that it was separated into two categories. First, into a table of contents that could be read starting from essay's from the classical and medieval eras, to the modern world, then through the contemporary area. Secondly, it is then separated into topical contents of ideas in moral philosophy; to include Consequentialist and Deontological theories, Virtue Ethics, Christian Ethics, Existential Ethics, Justice, Feminism, Moral Relativism and Absolutism, Subjectivism, and then essay's on the basis of moral obligations.
There is an important emphasis placed on the actual history of moral philosophy. This emphasis is then bridged with many contemporary authors who explain some of the historical important ideas of past greats of moral philosophy.
Perhaps one of the strong points of this collection is that it prepares you to read the essay by explaining the key concepts the reading covers, and including questions to think about while reading the selections.
The downside to this collection is that many of the readings are extremely dry and require at least a general conception, further than the key concepts, to understand the context that each essay was written within.
There is three extremely valuable essay's contained within the collection that I do want to highlight. Without these three essay's I would have given this book two stars instead of three. Those three essay's are, R.M Hares Moral Thinking , Nietzche's On the Genealogy of Morals: A Polemic , and Christine M. Korsgaard's Self-Constitution in the Ethics of Plato and Kant .
Each one of these essay's were a treasure to read and deserve to be highlighted.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic and contemporary selections introduce the reader to various positions in ethical theory. The editors' introductions provide useful summaries of the contributors' ethical views and biographical information.

[David Winkler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was by far the most difficult book I've ever read. It was above my scope of knowledge, and I had to constantly define words in order to make sense of it. I did however learn a lot about ethics, morals, and insight, and would recommend this book to anyone seeking to better themselves.

[Joshua Duffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent overview of writers such as Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Nietzsche, Kant, Hume, etc. Worth the read; may whet your appetite for more.

[Pankhuri]

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