Exploring Ethics: An Introductory Anthology

by Steven M. Cahn

In this remarkably accessible, concise, and engaging introduction to moral philosophy, Steven M. Cahn brings together a rich, balanced, and wide-ranging collection of fifty-two readings on ethical theory and contemporary moral issues. He has carefully edited all the articles to ensure that they will be exceptionally clear and understandable to undergraduate students. The selections are organized into three parts--Challenges to Morality, Moral Theories, and Moral Problems--providing instructors with flexibility in designing and teaching a variety of ethics courses. Each reading is followed by study questions.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Reference, School

544 pages, Paperback

First published February 29, 2008

About the author

Steven M. Cahn, Ph.D. (Philosophy, Columbia University, 1966; A.B., Columbia College, 1963), teaches academic ethics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of education at the Graduate Center and has published widely in the field of philosophy and education.

Cahn joined the Graduate Center as professor of philosophy and dean of graduate studies in 1983. He was named provost and vice president for academic affairs in 1984, remaining in that position until 1992. He previously taught at Dartmouth College, Vassar College, the University of Rochester, New York University, and the University of Vermont, where from 1973 to 1980 he headed the department of philosophy. He held executive positions with the Exxon Education Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and he is longtime president of the John Dewey Foundation.

Reviews

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I really liked this collection of essays on philosophy. The topics it covers are diverse and represent some of the best work of philosophers, especially those in recent years who have had to wrestle with modern topics. However, as you read through this book, you will find it contains some essays that are pretty weak, and probably shouldn't even be included because they lack substance. The inclusion of mediocre essays makes a great text into an average one, but this is a work that is still worth your time. So whether you take Ethics as a college course or find yourself reading about it for personal improvement, you should consider this anthology.

[Steven]

I've been using this textbook for one of my adjunct teaching jobs, sophomore Philosophy of Ethics (it's what the university has given me to teach). I'm finding it a generally useful, well-organized book for the class.

[Stevie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many hot takes that I personally didn't enjoy, but that's philosophy for ya.
Thank god I didn't choose to major in this

[Shahdah Mahhouk · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usual western biased view..

[JT Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic concepts of social philosophical views from many accounts, read for class

[Gabriella Italia · Rating 1 out of 5]

read it for a class and although some of it was interesting, it was a hard read

[Miz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this collection of essays on ethics for a philosophical study, introducing me to ethics. It was great, and so are these texts.

Ideas of interest:
utility - and all the utilities that make our hedons - shine? light-up?
Virginia Held's "Ethics of Care" puts caring into the equation, and what it means to act like you care.
Ayn Rand: may also be known as "the reason some capitalists can sleep at night" // "The Fountainhead" (1943)
Thomas Nagel "Freedom" & "Death"
and Peter Singer's "Famine, Affluence, and Morality"


"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere."
Martin Luther Jr. King "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"

[S. Alberto ⁻⁷ (yearning) · Rating 3 out of 5]

personally it was a very informative book however I only read this numerous times because I was in an intro philosophy class and I cannot and do not want to re read this again, the information is ingrained in my brain at this point. However it does a concise job of summarizing the main points of each philosopher and theory with examples that are easy to follow!

[Daniel D · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Rachel on euthanasia is what I got this book for. It is a nice little resource.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great collection of essays; a thorough representation of interesting topics! Thanks Taylor!

[Randi Hopkins]

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