Social Ethics

Social Ethics: A Student's Guide is an animated introduction to moral philosophy and the key ethical issues of today. In clear and direct language, Teichman provides a vigorous philosophical assessment of the arguments for and against euthanasia, the debate between advocates of "pro-life" and "pro-choice" in the question of abortion, the relationship between human beings and other animals, the possibility of machines thinking in the way that human beings think, the politics of the environment, and the nature and relevance of professional ethics. In so doing, Teichman offers a radical alternative to the current consequentialist orthodoxy in ethics. By placing fundamental importance on human life and human rights, Social Ethics makes a refreshing and distinctive contribution to contemporary ethical debate. It will serve as the ideal text for undergraduate courses in applied, practical and social ethics.

Preface. Part I: Ethical Bedrock:. 1. Morality and Humanity. 2. Egoism, Relativism, Consequentialism. 3. Ethical Bedrock. Part II: A Defence of Humanism:. 4. Human Beings and Persons. 5. Human Beings and the Other Animals. 6. Human Beings and Machines. Part III: Deaths and Lives:. 7. Euthanasia: For and Against. 8. Euthanasia: Logic and Practice. 9. Abortion. 10. Professional Ethics. Part IV: Ideology and Value:. 11. Feminism and Masculism. 12. Freedom of Thought and Expression. 13. The Right, the Left and the Green. Appendix I: Natural Rights as Justifying the Authority of the State. Appendix II: The Controversy about Euthanasia, a Sample Case. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.