BLACKWELL GUIDE TO ETHICAL THEORY

edited by Hugh LaFollette
Oxford: Blackwell (2000)

The second edition, co-edited with Ingmar Persson (University of Gothenburg and Oxford), will appear later in 2013. Details here.

"Written by distinguished philosophical experts these pieces address a full range of issues in ethical and meta-ethical theory, as well as giving a considered voice to the various defenders of ethical anti-theory. As a whole they testify to and exemplify the current vibrancy and richness of work in ethical theory."

David Archard (University of St Andrews)

"For students, this guide provides helpful introductions to themes and topics which they are to study in more detail, and lucid surveys of other aspects of ethical theory. It will also be read with profit by academics unfamiliar with the field; and some of the papers are not just guides, but original contributions, to the subject."

Antony Duff (University of Stirling)

"The Guide provides a wide-ranging survey of the major topics in contemporary ethical theory and includes a good amount of new and important work. It should be of use to anyone wanting acquaintance with the subject in its current state."

Barbara Herman (UCLA)

"The Blackwell Guide to Ethical Theory is, for its size, perhaps the best single-volume resource guide to contemporary ethical theory."

Robert B. Louden
APA Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy Spring 2001


General Introduction 1
Meta-Ethics
The status of ethics
"Moral Realism" 15
Michael Smith (Australian National University)
"Relativism" 38
Simon Blackburn (University of North Carolina)
What grounds ethical claims?
"Divine Command Theory" 53
Phillip L. Quinn (University of Notre Dame)
"Naturalism" 74
James Rachels (University of Alabama at Birmingham)
"Moral Intuition" 92
Jeff McMahan (University of Illinois)
Against ethical theory
"The End of Ethics" 111
John D. Caputo (Villanova University)
Psychology and ethics
"Psychological Egoism" 129
Elliott Sober (University of Wisconsin)
"Moral Psychology" 149
Laurence Thomas (Syracuse University)
Normative Ethics
Consequentialism
"Act-Utilitarianism" 165
R.G. Frey (Bowling Green State University)
"Rule-Consequentialism" 183
Brad Hooker (University of Reading)
Deontology
"Nonconsequentialism" 205
F. M. Kamm (New York University)
"Kantianism" 227
Thomas E. Hill, Jr. (University of North Carolina)
"Contractarianism" 247
Geoff Sayre-McCord (University of North Carolina)
"Intuitionism" 268
David McNaughton (University of Keele)
"Rights" 288
L.W. Sumner (University of Toronto)
"Libertarianism" 306
Jan Narveson (University of Waterloo)
Alternative views
"Virtue Ethics" 325
Michael Slote (University of Maryland)
"Feminist Ethics" 348
Alison M. Jaggar (University of Colorado)
"Continental Ethics" 375
William R. Schroeder (University of Illinois)
"Pragmatic Ethics" 400
Hugh LaFollette (East Tennessee State University)
"Toward Reconciliation in Ethics" 420
James P. Sterba (University of Notre Dame)
Index 442