Although "Sketchy" at Times, a Good Start...

books:


	• The Elements of Moral Philosophy James Rachels, Stuart Rachels McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2006 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 29 reviews view larger image
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fantastic book

This is a great book. it is very easy to read. Great for beginners or others who find reading original writings of major philosophers difficult.

Although "Sketchy" at Times, a Good Start...

As professor Rachels' states in his Preface:

"Socrates, one of the first and best moral philosophers, said that the subject deals with "no small matter, but how we ought to live"

He goes on to say that, he has approached the subject in a "broad" sense, an introduction to this important branch of philosophy known as Ethics.

In issues like Euthanasia and Abortion, in terms of the nature of morality, he states that moral judements MUST (emphasis my own) be backed by good reasons; and that, also, an idividual's choice on such matters, should, if possible, be "impartial".

To be fair, in terms of Ethics, "impartiality" is highly improbable, as notions of Right and Wrong do in fact change over time. There is no such thing as "facts" in the realm of the Humanities because life moves forward, opinions change, though sound argument is the key to this subject.

(This is not to say that I'm promoting Relativism, however, culture and time do play a major part in any cultures notions of morality.)

The subjects covered:

What is Morality?

The Challenge of Cultural Relativism.

Subjectivism in Ethics.

Are There Absolute Moral Rules?
(Kant's "Categorical Imperative)

The Ethics of Virtue.
(Aristotle)

In terms of classroom discussion, Ethics, (unless the students are all suffering from the night before) can get quite heated and exciting.

As far as a "Brush Stroke" on a major branch of philosophy, Rachels', in my opinion has pulled it off - particularly for first year university students.

Recommended.

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Rachels on Moral Relativism

Just one gripe with an otherwise sound introduction;
I think that the section on moral relativism is especially weak. Rachels offers two arguments against the Cultural Differences Argument:

p1 Different cultures have different moral codes
p2 This would only happen were there a single, universal morality
conclusion: no such universal morality exists

Rachels first argues that the argument is invalid, using the analogy of 'theories of the shape of the earth.' Just as different cultural beliefs about the shape of the earth do not show that the Earth has no definite shape, Rachels argues, different moral beliefs across cultures and times do not show that there is no universal morality. I suspect that this is question- begging. Rachels presupposes that truths about the shape of the Earth are relevantly similar to 'truths' about moral universals, but this requires that there are such moral universals. (Different cultures have different theories about tastiness, or feminine beauty; it seems to me straightforwardly true that this shows that such beliefs or theories are really culturally bound).
Rachels then goes on to argue that premise one is not true, or is exagerrated. His view that no culture could survive without a ban on homicide, infanticide or theft is simply naive, (consider in- group vs. out- group relations, or the history of slavery, for obvious examples) as is his view that all apparent differences in morality are due to economic, environmental or worldview-based factors. A competent stage I student would be able to take him apart.
Actually I prefer this chapter as it is: it gives the instructor a good opportunity to set students loose on an argument for criticism, and to unlearn automatic respect for textual authority.

G. Roche Lakeland College Wisconsin

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Asking All The Right Questions

"The Elements of Moral Philosophy" is a fabulous, non-technical introduction to ethics. The writing is clear and historically informed, the main schools of thought are covered, and Rachels doesn't pretend that he's found all the answers to very difficult questions. I can't think of a better book for a college student who is new to philosophical ethics and wants to get a feel for how philosophers approach these issues.

I was struck by the handful of super-negative Amazon reviews. I suspect they were written by students who were forced to read the book for a class and either expected something else or were put off by Rachels' respectful but negative treatment of religious-based ethics. Ignore them.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Firmly established as the standard text for undergraduate courses in ethics, this concise, lively book combines clear explanations of the main theories of ethics with discussions of interesting examples. Topics covered include famine relief, euthanasia, homosexuality, and the treatment of animals. The text's versatility allows it to be widely used not only in ethical theory courses, but also in applied ethics courses of all kinds.