The Puzzle of Ethics

by Peter Vardy

A guide to the complex subject of ethics explained in clear and entertaining language. This new edition is fully revised and updated. This popular introduction to the subject of ethics poses vital contemporary questions and explores the approach of leading thinkers. The authors take the reader, step by step, through the complex arguments on issues such as animal an human rights, environmental ethics and the morality of war. 'It is a great gift to be able to make philosophy accessible to the general reader. This is a wonderfully clear introduction both to moral philosophy and to contemporary ethical concerns.' David Atkinson, Church Times

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Reference

Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Dr. Peter Vardy (born 1945) is a British academic, philosopher, theologian and author. Since 1999 he has held the post of Vice Principal at Heythrop College, London.

Vardy was originally a chartered accountant before becoming an academic. He holds a Masters Degree in Theology (with distinction) and a Ph.D (on ‘The Concept of Eternity’) from King's College London and has lectured in Philosophy of Religion at King's and also at the Institute of Education, London on their Masters Degree in Education programme.

Reviews

[Ffion Wyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really worth reading if you are studying RS A level or you're a human being who lives on planet earth who interacts with other humans and makes decisions.

[Andrew Alastair · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Puzzle of Ethics is divided into two parts. The first section deals strictly with theory, following a clear and chronological analysis of the most essential meta-ethical frameworks from Plato to Postmodernism. Vardy takes his readers on a thorough patrol of the main borders separating the deontological and utilitarian states of mind.

In the second section, ‘applied ethics’ , Vardy and Grosch consider the strengths and weaknesses of these theories when applied to the still very hotly debated topics of abortion, euthanasia, war, animal testing & embryology.

I’ve had this book on my shelf for over a decade - yellowed, crawling with annotations and well thumbed - and have found it useful as both a student and a tutor of ethical theory.

Perfect for quick reference.

[Zahida Zahoor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written for teaching material for a course on Ethics, the first section of the book is very academic and dry and the second half of the book puts ethics into practice. I enjoyed reading the second section but it doesn't give you a fresh insight into complex ethical questions. For example, the chapter on animal ethics focused on the level of suffering animal’s experience, which puts the bar very low in relation to animal law and rights.
Certain topics like abortion were written in an insulting or patronising way “to destroy this foetus because she wants to be slim for a planned holiday”. Or intercourse is like signing a contract to sell a house... If the woman in question is narcissistic or extremely selfish, maybe not having a baby might be the right thing for her to do.
The chapter on Genetic Engineering was well written and gave a clear case for and against, genetically modified plants or animals. However, the chapter on human rights I found difficult to follow. Furthermore, the book doesn’t bring all the chapters together well and remains a student book rather than a book that makes you really question your views. This may be because the book focuses on ethics just from the western perspective and doesn’t take into account human psychology that is complex and sometimes hypocritical.

[ziombel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jest to wprowadzenie do różnych zagadnień związanych z etyką. Na każdy problem jest poświęcone od kilku do kilkunastu stron. Książka jest podzielona na dwie części.

Pierwsza część "Etyka teoretyczna" poświęcona jest wybranym systemom etycznym. Pokrótce omówiono system Platona, Arystotelesa, Tomasza z Akwinu, Kanta oraz teorie utylitarystyczne oraz post utylitarystyczne. Pod koniec omówiono idee MacIntyre dotyczące renesansu cnót arystotelesowskich i etykę buddyzmu.

Część dryga "Etyka Stosowana" jest poświęcona bardziej przyziemnym sprawom, jak etyka sytuacyjna, sprawiedliwość, aborcja, eutanazja, sprawiedliwa wojna, prawa człowieka, prawa zwierząt oraz ekologia. W tej części autorzy przywołują i opisują po kilka stanowisk w danych sprawach.

Książka jest kierowana raczej do osób zaczynających swoją przygodę z filozofią. Jest napisana lekkim językiem, więc w miarę przyjemnie się czyta.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, this book was purely for revision purposes and so I'm not sure how to rate this but it is really well written. I recommend this for anyone who wants to learn about ethics as it is really easy to understand yet very informative. This really helped me with my revision so give it a try if you have an ethics exam coming up soon. (Wish me luck for mine!)

[Avesta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read - explores theoretical ethics (the works of Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, Bentham etc.) and applied ethics (abortion, just war, crime and punishment, etc.). Also discussed how Nazi Germany could have argued that it was just to go to war with the allied powers and invade Poland.
Good for A-Level RS/History students and above.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to help with my research for my A level course and found it to be fascinating. Vardy explains ethics in a clear way perfect for a beginner like myself and provided ample information for my research into the right to life of the unborn. I would recommend this to all students.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend if you’re doing religious studies a level or maybe just have a very deep interest in ethics or philosophy, aside from that, I would give it a miss. Even with both an interest in ethics and studying RS at A level, I still found that it dragged on in parts.

[Chrys Cymri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended for anyone who wants to understand more about where Christian ethics comes from. Particularly helpful for anyone who wants/needs more information on the issue of same sex relationships.

[Millie W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, sometime quite dry.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really informative read that goes through the main concepts within ethics. It is supposed to be more of study book though so it could come across as a little dry and two dimensional in places. Additionally, the authors have placed ‘discussion questions’ at the end of each chapter. The authors have some rather dated views in my opinion surrounding abortion and genetic engineering however these are mostly due to the book being 25+ years old.

Overall, it’s a solid introduction to the study of ethics. It brought back a lot of content that I studied at A-level.

[Zayn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book exploring the questions of ethics in depth.

[J Grimsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An undergraduate book with a thoughtful introduction to the subject.

[Harry Ramone · Rating 2 out of 5]

just a scratch on the surface