The ethical life : fundamental readings in ethics and moral problems

536 Pages·2018·31.89 MB·English

by  Shafer-Landau

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The Ethical Life

The Ethical Life
Fundamental Readings
in Ethics and Moral Problems
Fuurth Edition
RUSS
SHAFER~LANDAU
111C U"it"'rsityo!Wist:onsi" at Ma,/ison
New York Oxford
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Names: Shafer-I.andau. Russ, author.
Title: 'Ihe ethicallile: fundamental readings in ethics and moral problems I
Russ Shafer-landau.lhe University ufWisconsin at Madison.
Description: 1:(IUrlh edition. I NI'W York: Oxford University Press. [20 III I
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CONTENTS
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Preface ix
A Note on the Companion Volume xiii
INTRODUCTION I
The Good Life
PART I
1. John Stuart Mill Hedonism 11
2. Robert Nozick The Experience Machine 21
3. (''hris Heathwood Faring Well and Getting What You Want 25
4. Brad Hooker The Elements of Well-Being 37
5. Susan Wolf Happiness and Meaning: Two Aspects of the Good
Life 53
Normative Ethics Theories of Right Conduct
PART II
6. Plato Euthyphro 75
7. Thomas Aquinas Natural Law 84
8. John Stuart Mill Utilitarianism 97
9. Immanuel Kant The Good Will and the Categorical
Imperative 107
10. Thomas Hobbes Leviathan 120
11. W. D. Ross What Makes Right Acts Right? 131
12. Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics 143
13. Hilde Lindemann What [s Feminist Ethics? 155
Metaethics The Status of Morality
PART III
14. David Hume Moral Distinctions Not Derived from
Reason 171
15. J. L. Mackie The Subjectivity of Values 181
16. Gilbert Harman Ethics and Observation 190
J7 . Harry Gensler Cultural Relativism 199
18. David Enoch Why I Am an Objectivist about Ethics (And Why
You Are. Too) 208
v
vi CONTENTS
Moral Problems
PARTIV
19. Kwame Anthony Appiah What Will Future Generations
Condemn Us For? 225
POVERTY AND HUNGER
20. Peter Singer '111e Singer Solution to World Poverty 230
21. Jan Narveson Feeding the Hungry 238
EUTHANASIA AND A MODEST PROPOSAL
22. James Rachels 'Ihe Morality of Euthanasia 252
23. John Harris lhe Survival Lottery 258
THE MORAL STATUS OF ANIMALS
24. Alastair Norcross Puppies, Pigs and People: Eating Meat and
Marginal Cases 267
25. R. G. Frey Moral Standing, the Value ofLives, and Speciesism 283
THE ENVIRONMENT
26. Eric A. Posner and Cass R. Sunstein Climate Change Justice 301
27. Ihomas Hill, Jr. Ideals of Human ExceJIence and Preserving
Natural Environments 3] 7
ABORTION
28. Judith Jarvis 7homson A Defense of Abortion 333
29. Don Marquis Why Abortion Is Immoral 346
30. Philippa Foot the Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of the
Double Effect 357
THE DBATH PENALTY
31. Igor Primoratz Justifying Legal Punishment 370
32. Step~en Nathanson An Eye for an Eye? 380
GUNS
33. Jeff McMahan Why Gun 'Control' Is Not Enough 390
34. Michael Huemer Is 'Ihere a Right to Own a Gun? 396
THE LEGACY OF RACISM
35. Chris Lebron Time for a New Black Radicalism 411
36. Louis P. Pojman °Ihe Case Against Affirmative Action 417
37. Daniel M. Hausman Affirmative Action: Bad Arguments and
Some Good Ones 432
38. Hlizabeth Anderson lhe Future of Racial Integration 446
Contents vii
DRUGS
39. Michael Huemer Americas Unjust Drug War 466
40. Peter de Marneffe Against the Legalization of Drugs 480
CoPYRIGHT
41. Jonathan Trerise Why U1egal1y Downloading Files Is Morally
Wrong 496
42. TIm Anderson and D. E. Wittkower Why Legally Downloading
Music Is Morally Wrong 508

-,....-
PREFACE
B
rief yet thorough. The Ethical Life: Fundamental Readings in
Ethics and Moral Problems is a collection of original writings in
ethics. Its four parts-The Good Life. Normative Ethics, Meta
ethics. and Moral Problems-serve to introduce readers to each of the
major branches of moral philosophy, with readings that have been
carefully selected for their engaging style and their accessibility. This
book can be usefully read on its own. and is an ideal way to acquaint
students with the major themes of moral philosophy through a large
selection of primary source material.
Changes to the Fourth Edition
This edition of The Ethical Ufe contains a dozen new selections and two
new sections.
Part I now offers Brad Hooker's assessment of different theories of
well-being and Susan Wolf's popular paper discussing the relationship
between happiness and meaning in life.
part II now offers selections from two classics: Thomas Aquinas's pre
sentation of natural law theory and John Stuart Mill's exposition of utili
tarian ethics.
Part III now includes Gilbert Harman's influential challenge to the
objectivity of ethics. a challenge that unfavorably contrasts morality with
the natural sciences.
Part IV has seen the largest number of changes. This part now begins with
a provocative piece by Kwame Anthony Appiah. who invites us to reflect on
the morality of contemporary practices by asking what future generations will
condemn us for. There is a new section on copyright law, which contains two
commissioned pieces, one by Jonathan Trerise and another by Tim Anderson
and D. E. Wittkower. These papers focus specifically on the morality of
(il)1egalIy downloading music. There is another new section, this one on gun
controL featuring opposing pieces by Jeff McMahan and Michael Huemer. In
other selections that are new to this edition. Eric A. Posner and Cass R. Sun
stein discuss what justice requires when facing the challenges ofc limate change,
Elizabeth Anderson argues for the importance of racial integration as a social
policy. and Peter de Mametfe offers argwnents against the legalization of drugs.
ix