Philosophy of Communication Ethics is a unique and timely contribution to the study of communication ethics. This series of essays articulates unequivocally the intimate connection between philosophy of communication and communication ethics. This scholarly volume assumes that there is a multiplicity of communication ethics. What distinguishes one communication ethic from another is the philosophy of communication in which a particular ethic is grounded. Philosophy of communication is the core ingredient for understanding the importance of and the difference between and among communication ethics. The position assumed by this collection is consistent with Alasdair MacIntyre’s insights on ethics. In A Short History of Ethics, he begins with one principal assertion—philosophy is subversive. If one cannot think philosophically, one cannot question taken-for-granted assumptions. In the case of communication ethics, to fail to think philosophically is to miss the bias, prejudice, and assumptions that constitute a given communication ethic.
Ronald C. Arnett is Chair and Professor of the Affiliated Departments of Communication and English at Duquesne University. He is the author of three books: Dwell in Peace: Applying Nonviolence to Everyday Relationships; Communication and Community: Implications of Martin Buber's Dialogue, for which he received the 1988 Book Award by the Religious Speech Association; and Dialogic Education: Conversations About Ideas and Between People. He is also the coeditor of The Further Reach of Dialogue and Community Ethics in an Age of Diversity.