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Ethics
A Very Short Introduction
Simon Blackburn
152 pages
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12 halftones
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174x111mm
978-0-19-280442-6
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Paperback
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08 May 2003
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- Written by Simon Blackburn, author of the best-selling Think
- Short, lively, humorous, and accessible
- Unique combination of depth, rigor and sparkling prose
- Ethics is the area of philosophy which touches most on everyday life - its central theme is how we ought to live
- Discusses topics such as birth, death, desire,and the meaning of life
Our self-image as moral, well-behaved creatures is dogged by scepticism, relativism, hypocrisy, and nihilism, by the fear that in a Godless world science has unmasked us as creatures fated by our genes to be selfish and tribalistic, or competitive and aggressive. In this 'sparklingly clear' (Guardian) introduction to ethics Simon Blackburn tackles the major moral questions surrounding birth, death, happiness, desire and freedom, showing us how we should think about the meaning of life, and how we should mistrust the soundbite-sized absolutes that often dominate moral debates.
Readership: General readers interested in philosophy, particularly those who bought Think. Students on ethics courses.
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Simon Blackburn, Professor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge
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Review(s) from previous edition
"Simon Blackburn's short book takes the big moral questions head on and does so brilliantly. . . a witty, vivid writer with an enviable popular touch . . . this is a wonderfully enlightening book. - Ben Rogers, Sunday Telegraph,
"full of good sense" - Sunday Times
"But for anyone wondering how big questions have bothered us over the years, this witty, rigorous book fills in the gaps." - PLAY, The Times
"always lively and never simplistic" - Waterstone's Quarterly January 2002
"Good clearheaded stuff" - Ted Honderich, The Times
"enjoyable and extremely readable . . . Blackburn . . . is breezy, helpful, reassuring" - The Philosopher's Magazine
"sparklingly clear" - Guardian
"a first rate and accessible guide which tackles the huge, perpetual questions" - Nottingham Evaning Post
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Preface
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Seven Threats to Ethics
1: The Threat of the Death of God
2: The Threat of Relativism
3: The Threat of Egoism
4: The Threat from Evolutionary Theory
5: The Threat of Determinism and Futility
6: The Threat of Unreasonable Demands
7: The Threat of False Consciousness
Some Ethical Ideas
8: Birth
9: Death
10: Desire and the Meaning of Life
11: Pleasure
12: The Greatest Happiness of the Greatest Number
13: Freedom from the Bad
14: Freedom and Paternalism
15: Rights and Natural Rights
Foundations?
16: Reasons and Foundations
17: Living Well and Doing Good
18: The Categorical Imperative
19: Contracts and Discourse
20: The Common Point of View
21: Confidence Restored
Further Reading
Index
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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