An ethics reader which includes the three major areas of ethical study: theory, moral problems, and applied ethics. This collection of notable essays on ethics past and present also includes newly-edited pieces, revised versions, and several essays written specifically for this volume.

Preface. PART ONE: METAETHICS. 1. MORAL RELATIVISM. David Hume: A Dialogue. James Rachels: The Challenge of Cultural Relativism. 2. MORAL REALISM VS. MORAL SKEPTICISM. Plato: Moral Forms. J.L. Mackie: Moral Skepticism. 3. GOD AND MORALITY. Plato: Euthyphro Dilemma. Thomas Aquinas: from The Treatise on Law. David Hume: Morality Independent of Religion. Philip L.Quinn: The Primacy of God''''s Will in Theistic Ethics. Kai Nielsen: God and the Basis of Morality. 4. EGOISM VS. ALTRUISM. Thomas Hobbes: The Selfish Origins of Pity and Charity. Joseph Butler: The Natural Desire Towards Public Good. Joel Feinberg: Psychological Egoism. 5. REASON VS. EMOTION. Samuel Clarke: Moral Relations. David Hume: Moral Distinctions not Derived from Reason. Kurt Baier: The Best Thing to Do. 6. EMOTIVISM AND PRESCRIPTIVISM. A.J.Ayer: Emotivism. C.L. Stevenson: Emotivism and Descriptive Meanings of Ethical Terms. R.M. Hare: Prescriptive and Descriptive Meanings of Ethical Terms. PART TWO: NORMATIVE ETHICS. 7. VIRTUE THEORY. Aristotle: Moral Virtues. J.B. Scheewind: The Misfortunes of Virtue. Greg Pence: Virtue Theory. Robert B. Louden: On Some Vices of Virtue Ethics. 8. SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY. Plato: The Nature and Origin of Justice. Thomas Hobbes: The State of Nature and Laws of Nature. Mark Murphy: Hobbes''''s Social Contract Theory. John Rawls: from A Theory of Justice. Robert Nozick: Rawls''''s Theory. 9. MORAL RIGHTS. John Locke: Natural Rights. William Paley: The Division of Rights. United Nations General Assembly: Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Joel Feinberg: The Nature and Value of Rights. 10. MORAL DUTIES. Samuel Pufendorf: Duties to God, Self, and Others. Immanuel Kant: from The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals. Eric Watkins: Kant''''s Categorical Imperative. W.D. Ross: from The Right and the Good. Martin Curd: Ross''''s Intuitionist Theory of Duty. 11. HEDONISM AND UTILITARIANISM. Epicurus: Letter to Menoeceus. Thomas More: Happiness and Pleasure. Francis Hutcheson: Computing the Greatest Happiness. Jeremy Bentham: The Principle of Utility. J.S. Mill: from Utilitarianism. John E. Hare: Morality and Consequences. William C. Davis: A Critical Look at Consequentialism. 12. FEMINIST ETHICS. Mary Wollstonecraft: Woman and Morality. Nel Noddings: Ethics from the Stand Point of Women. Michael Levin: Is There a Female Morality? PART THREE: APPLIED ETHICS. 13. SUICIDE. Augustine: Against Suicide. Thomas Aquinas: Whether It Is Lawful to Kill Oneself. David Hume: Of Suicide. Immanuel Kant: Suicide. 14. EUTHANASIA. Hippocrates: Hippocratic Oath. Thomas More: Voluntary Death. James Rachels: Active and Passive Euthanasia. Thomas D. Sullivan: Active and Passive Euthanasia: An Impertinent Distinction? James Rachels: More Impertinent Distinctions and a Defense of Active Euthanasia. 15. ABORTION. Thomas Aquinas: Fetuses and the Human Soul. Don Marquis: An Argument that Abortion is Wrong. Judith Jarvis Thomson: A Defense of Abortion. 16. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. Cesare Beccaria: The Death Penalty. J.S. Mill: Speech in Favor of Capital Punishment. Hugo Adam Bedau: from The Case Against the Death Penalty. Ernest van den Haag: The Ultimate Punishment. 17. ANIMAL ETHICS. Augustine: Killing Plants and Animals. Thomas Aquinas: Whether It Is Unlawful to Kill Any Living Thing. Rene Descartes: The Automatism of Animals. Immanual Kant: Duties Towards Animals. Tom Regan: The Case for Animal Rights. Tibor Machan: Do Animals Have Rights? 18. ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS. Augustine: Against the View that God Dwells in Plant Life. Henry David Thoreau: Primeval Nature. Aldo Leopold: The Land Ethic. James Fieser: An Argument Against Normative Ecocentrism. Suggestions for Further Reading. NOTES. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

Preface. PART ONE: METAETHICS. 1. MORAL RELATIVISM. David Hume: A Dialogue. James Rachels: The Challenge of Cultural Relativism. 2. MORAL REALISM VS. MORAL SKEPTICISM. Plato: Moral Forms. J.L. Mackie: Moral Skepticism. 3. GOD AND MORALITY. Plato: Euthyphro Dilemma. Thomas Aquinas: from The Treatise on Law. David Hume: Morality Independent of Religion. Philip L.Quinn: The Primacy of God's Will in Theistic Ethics. Kai Nielsen: God and the Basis of Morality. 4. EGOISM VS. ALTRUISM. Thomas Hobbes: The Selfish Origins of Pity and Charity. Joseph Butler: The Natural Desire Towards Public Good. Joel Feinberg: Psychological Egoism. 5. REASON VS. EMOTION. Samuel Clarke: Moral Relations. David Hume: Moral Distinctions not Derived from Reason. Kurt Baier: The Best Thing to Do. 6. EMOTIVISM AND PRESCRIPTIVISM. A.J.Ayer: Emotivism. C.L. Stevenson: Emotivism and Descriptive Meanings of Ethical Terms. R.M. Hare: Prescriptive and Descriptive Meanings of Ethical Terms. PART TWO: NORMATIVE ETHICS. 7. VIRTUE THEORY. Aristotle: Moral Virtues. J.B. Scheewind: The Misfortunes of Virtue. Greg Pence: Virtue Theory. Robert B. Louden: On Some Vices of Virtue Ethics. 8. SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY. Plato: The Nature and Origin of Justice. Thomas Hobbes: The State of Nature and Laws of Nature. Mark Murphy: Hobbes's Social Contract Theory. John Rawls: from A Theory of Justice. Robert Nozick: Rawls's Theory. 9. MORAL RIGHTS. John Locke: Natural Rights. William Paley: The Division of Rights. United Nations General Assembly: Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Joel Feinberg: The Nature and Value of Rights. 10. MORAL DUTIES. Samuel Pufendorf: Duties to God, Self, and Others. Immanuel Kant: from The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals. Eric Watkins: Kant's Categorical Imperative. W.D. Ross: from The Right and the Good. Martin Curd: Ross's Intuitionist Theory of Duty. 11. HEDONISM AND UTILITARIANISM. Epicurus: Letter to Menoeceus. Thomas More: Happiness and Pleasure. Francis Hutcheson: Computing the Greatest Happiness. Jeremy Bentham: The Principle of Utility. J.S. Mill: from Utilitarianism. John E. Hare: Morality and Consequences. William C. Davis: A Critical Look at Consequentialism. 12. FEMINIST ETHICS. Mary Wollstonecraft: Woman and Morality. Nel Noddings: Ethics from the Stand Point of Women. Michael Levin: Is There a Female Morality? PART THREE: APPLIED ETHICS. 13. SUICIDE. Augustine: Against Suicide. Thomas Aquinas: Whether It Is Lawful to Kill Oneself. David Hume: Of Suicide. Immanuel Kant: Suicide. 14. EUTHANASIA. Hippocrates: Hippocratic Oath. Thomas More: Voluntary Death. James Rachels: Active and Passive Euthanasia. Thomas D. Sullivan: Active and Passive Euthanasia: An Impertinent Distinction? James Rachels: More Impertinent Distinctions and a Defense of Active Euthanasia. 15. ABORTION. Thomas Aquinas: Fetuses and the Human Soul. Don Marquis: An Argument that Abortion is Wrong. Judith Jarvis Thomson: A Defense of Abortion. 16. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. Cesare Beccaria: The Death Penalty. J.S. Mill: Speech in Favor of Capital Punishment. Hugo Adam Bedau: from The Case Against the Death Penalty. Ernest van den Haag: The Ultimate Punishment. 17. ANIMAL ETHICS. Augustine: Killing Plants and Animals. Thomas Aquinas: Whether It Is Unlawful to Kill Any Living Thing. Rene Descartes: The Automatism of Animals. Immanual Kant: Duties Towards Animals. Tom Regan: The Case for Animal Rights. Tibor Machan: Do Animals Have Rights? 18. ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS. Augustine: Against the View that God Dwells in Plant Life. Henry David Thoreau: Primeval Nature. Aldo Leopold: The Land Ethic. James Fieser: An Argument Against Normative Ecocentrism. Suggestions for Further Reading. NOTES. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.