Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues

by Vincent Ruggiero

"Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues" invites readers to apply ethical principles to issues that exemplify the kinds of moral challenges encountered in everyday life. It provides an overview of the need for ethics and then focuses on strategies for effective decision making. Ruggiero emphasizes doing ethical analysis rather than comparing ethical theories. The history of ethics is covered in the concluding chapter.

Genres: Philosophy, Read For School, Textbooks, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1991

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was intended to make ethics easy to understand for students, but it dumbs down the concept far too much for my taste. It is, in my opinion, not fit reading for high school students, and certainly not for college students. Discussions of theory are lacking, extremely simplistic, and the reader is left at the end questioning the author's ability to write a book on the subject at all.

[Richard Grebenc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the instructor for the Principles of Ethics course of which this was the designated textbook. I found the book to be very worthwhile and appropriate for a course in which there is about 48 contact hours (there were other supplemental resources used as well). Twelve relatively short chapters provided the material in bite-sized chunks. The text is very readable and chock full of examples to help bring theory to life and make it interesting and applicable. Many "Inquiries" at the end of the chapters provide case studies to apply learnings to practical situations. This focus on application runs throughout the book. Some names and dates inevitably are necessary but cannot, and should not, be the focus for an introductory text for applied ethics. A substantial section in the back of the book ("Contemporary Ethical Controversies" provides scores more ethical issues and scenarios to analyze, here broken up into disciplines such as education, medicine, law, business, and war. Two last sections provide helpful tips on suggestions for further study and helps in writing about moral issues. There is a good index, but a glossary would have been a nice addition. Recommended for the classroom or personal inquiry.

[Tommy Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and concise while comprehensive. The chapters provide a natural progression from; Why do we need ethics, thru Majority View, Feelings, Conscience, and Cultures.

Section II Strategy covers:
>Foundation for Judgment
>Basic Criteria
>Obligations
>Moral Ideas
>Consequences
>Moral Responsibility

Section III Tradition covers:
>Perspective on History
>Contemporary Ethical Controversies, in education, media and the arts, sex, government, law, business, medicine, science, war.

Each chapter concludes with Inquiries and prospective responses.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Currently teaching "moral reasoning" in Capstone. Urgh.

[fc7reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a textbook, this wasn't too bad.

[Weaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was surprisingly shallow and even judgmental at points. While an okay introduction, I think it could definitely do with some revising.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of useful dilemmas for thought and discussion

[Albert Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the book to be a good introductory textbook. It was comprehensive and easy to read and understand. The exercises would make students think and defend their position on an issue.