Ethics: A Beginner's Guide

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)

by Peter Cave

Should we aim to maximize happiness? Are there characteristics that we should foster within ourselves? Why is it important to act morally? From the ancient Greeks to Sartre, from utilitarianism to the categorical imperative, A Beginner’s Guide presents this vital topic of philosophy via its most influential thinkers and theories.

With characteristic wit, philosopher Peter Cave steers us around well known and not-so-well known ethical traps – in the private sphere, in community life, and in relation to God and religion.

As well as a guide to ongoing theoretical debates, Cave shows how the discipline helps us to confront topical controversies including those of the environment, abortion, and animal welfare. For anyone who questions how we ought to live, there is no better introduction to ethics and how it relates to twenty-first-century society.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 5, 2015

About the author

Peter Cave lectures in philosophy for The Open University and New York University (London). He frequently contributes to philosophy magazines and journals, lectures around the world, and has scripted and presented philosophy programmes for the BBC. He is the author of eight books on philosophy, including Humanism: A Beginner’s Guide and the bestselling Can a Robot be Human?: 33 Perplexing Philosophy Puzzles.

Reviews

[Sam Berner]

A good book in terms of content, but Cave writes like he talks, and talks like he thinks: in circles and helixes. One of the worst examples of English syntax ftom a native speaker. The last two chapters are the best, most clearly written, part of the book; the rest leaves the reader questioning what the author wanted to say. This is not a beginners' book.
The reading suggestions at the end are valuable.

[Ahmadov]

“A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon himself“

[Cliff Chew]

I wanted to get some exposure to the philosophical thoughts of ethics, and this book did well at the start. However, towards the end, the concepts were getting harder and harder to comprehend (or maybe I slowly got more stupid). I do feel that this could actually be on me than the writer itself. However, I have to give it a lower rating because that's just how I felt about the book.

Still, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in basic exposure to the philosophy of ethics. Be warned that philosophy could be something that is hard to swallow, even if you wanted to go into the field (leisurely) with the best intentions.

[Helen the Bassist]

3.5*
Probably not my best choice for bedtime reading but I definitely learnt something to add to the basics that I gleaned from the excellent TV Show 'The Good Place'.

Accessible and worth the effort.

[dehsaR]

Writing can be better

[Fran]

A good intro to ethics. It helped me understand the basics and I hope will give me a foundation for understanding more complex works.