Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics

A Short Introduction to Ethics

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Political, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Cover of the book Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics by Simon Blackburn, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Simon Blackburn ISBN: 9780191647314
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: March 14, 2002
Imprint: Oxford Paperbacks Language: English
Author: Simon Blackburn
ISBN: 9780191647314
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: March 14, 2002
Imprint: Oxford Paperbacks
Language: English

It is not only in our dark hours that scepticism, relativism, hypocrisy, and nihilism dog ethics. Whether it is a matter of giving to charity, or sticking to duty, or insisting on our rights, we can be confused, or be paralysed by the fear that our principles are groundless. Many are afraid that in a Godless world science has unmasked us as creatures fated by our genes to be selfish and tribalistic, or competitive and aggressive. Simon Blackburn, author of the best-selling Think, structures this short introduction around these and other threats to ethics. Confronting seven different objections to our self-image as moral, well-behaved creatures, he charts a course through the philosophical quicksands that often engulf us. Then, turning to problems of life and death, he shows how we should think about the meaning of life, and how we should mistrust the sound-bite sized absolutes that often dominate moral debates. Finally he offers a critical tour of the ways the philosophical tradition has tried to provide foundations for ethics, from Plato and Aristotle through to contemporary debates.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

It is not only in our dark hours that scepticism, relativism, hypocrisy, and nihilism dog ethics. Whether it is a matter of giving to charity, or sticking to duty, or insisting on our rights, we can be confused, or be paralysed by the fear that our principles are groundless. Many are afraid that in a Godless world science has unmasked us as creatures fated by our genes to be selfish and tribalistic, or competitive and aggressive. Simon Blackburn, author of the best-selling Think, structures this short introduction around these and other threats to ethics. Confronting seven different objections to our self-image as moral, well-behaved creatures, he charts a course through the philosophical quicksands that often engulf us. Then, turning to problems of life and death, he shows how we should think about the meaning of life, and how we should mistrust the sound-bite sized absolutes that often dominate moral debates. Finally he offers a critical tour of the ways the philosophical tradition has tried to provide foundations for ethics, from Plato and Aristotle through to contemporary debates.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book A Dictionary of Social Work and Social Care by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book Deference in International Courts and Tribunals by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book Shakespeare and Biography by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book Changing Fortunes by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book Empire Writing by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book The Adventures of Roderick Random by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book Constitutions and the Classics by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book On What Matters by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book Russia in Revolution by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book The International Minimum Standard and Fair and Equitable Treatment by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Tudor Literature by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book On the Genealogy of Universals by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book Keynes: A Very Short Introduction by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book Legitimacy in Global Governance by Simon Blackburn
Cover of the book Einstein and Twentieth-Century Politics by Simon Blackburn
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy