The Elements of Moral Philosophy

by James Rachels, Stuart Rachels

The Elements of Moral Philosophy 10e by James Rachels and Stuart Rachels is a best-selling text for undergraduate courses in ethics. Thirteen thought-provoking chapters introduce readers to major moral concepts and theories in philosophy through clear, understandable explanations and compelling discussions. Chapters are written so that they may be read independently of one another thus providing greater flexibility for students and instructors. **Available exclusively through McGraw-Hill Create®, A Database of Classical and Contemporary Readings for Philosophy by Donald C. Abel is an online collection of more than 450 readings that can be customized for your course.

224 pages, Hardcover

Published May 4, 2022

About the author

James Rachels, the distinguished American moral philosopher, was born in Columbus, Georgia, and graduated from nearby Mercer University in 1962. He received his Ph.D. in 1967 from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, studying under Professors W. D. Falk and E. M. Adams. He taught at the University of Richmond, New York University, the University of Miami, Duke University, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he spent the last twenty-six years of his career. 1971 saw the publication of his groundbreaking anthology Moral Problems, which helped ignite the movement from teaching metaethics in American colleges to teaching concrete practical issues. Moral Problems sold 100,000 copies over three editions. In 1975, Rachels wrote "Active and Passive Euthanasia," arguing that the distinction so important in the law between killing and letting die has no rational basis. Originally appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine, this essay has been reprinted 300 times and is a staple of undergraduate education. The End of Life (1986) broadened and deepened these ideas. Created from Animals (1990) argued that a Darwinian world-view has widespread philosophical implications, including drastic implications for our treatment of nonhuman animals. Can Ethics Provide Answers? (1997) was Rachels' first collection of papers; The Legacy of Socrates (2007) was his second. Rachels' textbook, The Elements of Moral Philosophy, is currently the best-selling book in philosophy. Shortly before being diagnosed with cancer, Rachels finished Problems from Philosophy, an introduction to his subject, published posthumously.

Over his career, Rachels wrote 6 books and 86 essays, edited 7 books and gave about 275 professional lectures. His work has been translated into Dutch, Korean, Norwegian, Italian, Japanese, Indonesian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Serbo-Croatian. He is widely admired as a stylist; his essays and books are remarkably free of jargon and clutter. A major theme in his work is that reason can resolve difficult moral issues. He has argued for moral vegetarianism and animal rights, for affirmative action (including quotas), for the humanitarian use of euthanasia, and for the idea that parents owe as much moral consideration to other people's children as to their own.

Reviews

[Janne Deventer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moeten lezen voor het vak ethiek. Heel interessant boek en een boeiend vak! Rachels en Rachels durven hun mening wel wat te laten overheersen (zeker in het laatste hoofdstuk).
Perfect boek voor een introductie in de moraalfilosofie.

[TheTeapot · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy-peasy intro to some of the big spicy areas of moral philosophy.

Surprisingly found myself disagreeing emphatically with the author in a few areas, not just with their conclusions but also with what appeared to be incomplete reasoning (by my amateur standards, anyway).

Nonetheless it's a credit to the authors that they made these topics so accessible - a rare trait amongst philosophy lit.

[Kendra N. N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what this book was meant to do, it was really informative & easy to understand. This was one of my required readings for Business Ethics, so obviously it's not something I would read for fun. However, the writing very simple, straight to the point, & the chapters weren't long. So, I didn't absolutely dread reading it.