CONTENTS
Preface
vii
Chapter One
Ethical Theories
1
Introduction 1
John Arthur: Religion, Morality, and
Conscience 7
William H. Shaw: Relativism in Ethics 15
John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism 19
James Rachels: The Debate over
Utilitarianism 25
Immanuel Kant: The Categorical
Imperative 32
Onora O'Neill: A Simplified Account of
Kant's Ethics 38
W. D. Ross: What Makes Right Acts
Right? 43
Bernard Mayo: Virtue and Moral Theory 49
Aristotle: Happiness and Virtue 52
Joel Feinberg: The Nature and Value of
Rights 61
Ronald Dworkin: Taking Rights Seriously 68
John Rawls: A Theory of Justice 74
Annette Baier: What Do Women Want in a
Moral Theory? 80
Virginia Held: Feminism and Moral
Theory 90
Problem Cases 102
Suggested Readings 104
Chapter Two
Abortion 107
Introduction 107
The Supreme Court: Excerpts from Roe v.
Wade (1973) 112
John T. Noonan, Jr.: An Almost Absolute
Value in History 117
Judith Jarvis Thomson: A Defense of
Abortion 122
Mary Anne Warren: On the Moral and Legal
Status of Abortion 131
Don Marquis: Why Abortion Is Immoral 143
Jane English: Abortion and the Concept of a
Person 151
L. W. Sumner: Abortion: A Moderate
View 158
Susan Sherwin: Abortion Through a Feminist
Ethics Lens 170
Problem Cases 178
Suggested Readings 179
Chapter Three
Suicide and Euthanasia
181
Introduction 181
St. Thomas Aquinas: Suicide Is Unnatural and
Immoral 184
Richard B. Brandt: On the Morality and
Rationality of Suicide 186
J. Gay-Williams: The Wrongfulness of
Euthanasia 194
James Rachels: Active and Passive
Euthanasia 197
Bonnie Steinbock: The Intentional Termination
of Life 201
Peter Singer: Justifying Voluntary
Euthanasia 207
Arthur J. Dyck: An Alternative to the Ethic of
Euthanasia 212
Richard B. Brandt: Defective Newborns and
the Morality of Termination 216
Problem Cases 223
Suggested Readings 224
Chapter Four
Capital Punishment 227
Introduction 227
The Supreme Court: Gregg v. Georgia
(1976) 229
iii
Immanuel Kant: The Retributive Theory of
Punishment 239
Jonathan Glover: Execution and
Assassination 241
Ernest van den Haag: The Ultimate
Punishment: A Defense 251
Hugo Adam Bedau: How to Argue about the
Death Penalty 256
Problem Cases 264
Suggested Readings 266
Chapter Five
Hunger and Welfare 269
Introduction 269
Peter Singer: Rich and Poor 272
Garrett Hardin: Living on a Lifeboat 285
Robert N. Van Wyk: Perspectives on World
Hunger and the Extent of Our Positive
Duties 297
John Hospers: What Libertarianism Is 305
Kai Nielsen: Radical Egalitarianism 313
Trudy Govier: The Right to Eat and the Duty
to Work 324
Peter G. Germanis: Workfare: Breaking the
Poverty Cycle 333
Nancy Fraser: Women, Welfare, and the
Politics of Need Interpretation 336
Problem Cases 345
Suggested Readings 347
Chapter Six
Discrimination and Affirmative
Action 349
Introduction 349
Peter Singer: Is Racial Discrimination
Arbitrary? 353
Mary Anne Warren: Secondary Sexism and
Quota Hiring 364
Barry R. Gross: Is Turn About Fair
Play? 376
Bernard R. Boxill: Blacks and Social
Justice 382
Shelby Steele: Affirmative Action: The Price of
Preference 395
T. Alexander Aleinikoff: A Case for RaceConsciousness 40 I
iv
Contents
Problem Cases 412
Suggested Readings 414
Chapter Seven
Corporate Responsibility 417
Introduction 417
Tom L. Beauchamp and Martha W. Elliott:
Hooker Chemical and Love Canal 419
Milton Friedman: The Social Responsibility of
Business Is to Increase Its Profits 428
Christopher D. Stone: Why Shouldn't
Corporations Be Socially Responsible? 433
Norman E. Bowie: Changing the Rules 437
Thomas Donaldson: Constructing a Social
Contract for Business 440
Problem Cases . 449
Suggested Readings 451
Chapter Eight
Animals and the
Environment 453
Introduction 453
Peter Singer: All Animals Are Equal 456
Bonnie Steinbock: Speciesism and the Idea of
Equality 464
Tom Regan: The Case for Animal Rights 471
Mary Anne Warren: Difficulties with the
Strong Animal Rights Position 479
Jordan Curnutt: Reconsidering
Vegetarianism 485
William F. Baxter: People or Penguins: The
Case for Optimal Pollution 494
William Godfrey-Smith: The Value of
Wilderness 499
Christopher D. Stone: Should Trees Have
Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural
Objects 506
Karen]. Warren: The Power and the Promise
of Ecological Feminism 511
Problem Cases 523
Suggested Readings 524
Chapter Nine
War and Violence 527
Introduction
527
Douglas P. Lackey: Pacifism 529
William V. O'Brien: The Conduct of Just and
Limited War 542
Jeffrie G. Murphy: The Killing of the
Innocent 554
Gregory S. Kavka: Was the Gulf War a Just
War? 559
Majid Khadduri: The Doctrine of Jihad 566
Barbara Harff: The Need for Humanitarian
Intervention: Bosnia and Somalia 570
Problem Cases 576
Suggested Readings 578
Philosophical Glossary
Index
581
589
Contents
V