The Story of Ethics: Fulfilling Our Human Nature - Softcover

Clark, Kelly James; Poortenga, Anne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 013097840X ISBN 13: 9780130978400

Publisher: Pearson, 2002

Synopsis

This book provides readers with an excellent introduction to the history of ethics. The authors examine the ethical philosophies of prominent Western thinkers—from the ancients through the twentieth century—within the context of their views of human nature and human fulfillment. They do so in a way that is both accessible and engaging without sacrificing the profundity of the issues raised. A five-part organization covers the Homeric tradition, the Sophists, Plato, Aristotle, Christianity, Neoplatonism, Augustine, the Euthyphro problem, revolutions and reformations, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Mary Wollstonecraft, Hegelianism and Materialism, Karl Marx, John Stuart Mill, Soren Kierkegaard, Darwinism, Friedrich Nietzsche, G. E. Moore, A.J. Ayer, Jean-Paul Sartre, Elizabeth Anscombe, John Rawls, Alasdair MacIntyre, Carol Gilligan, Richard Rorty, and a conclusion about human nature, morality & fulfillment. For individuals who want to better formulate their own answers and frame their own decisions, both large and small, within the all important context of what it means to flourish as a human being.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

This brief introduction to the history of ethics engages readers in a compelling, refreshing study of the question, "Why be moral?" Kelly James Clark and Anne Poortenga situate the study of ethics within the context of more fundamental questions: "What kind of persons are human beings?" and "What kind of life should we live to fulfill ourselves as persons?" Clark and Poortenga trace the philosophic history of how these questions have been answered, beginning with Plato and Aristotle and extending to contemporary thinkers, such as Carol Gilligan, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Richard Rorty.

Features of The Story of Ethics:

• Engaging writing style
• Historical overviews of major ethical theories
• Focused attention on key ethical theorists, including Aristotle, Aquinas, Hume, Mill, and Nietzsche, among others
• Written as a coherent whole, which nevertheless can be broken into separate, easily assignable sections.

Review:

"Finally, a user-friendly history of moral philosophy. Clark and Poortenga have produced a thorough and accessible history written in a lively and engaging style. It will be especially welcomed as a textbook by those of us who find it impossible to introduce students to moral philosophy without introducing them to its history. It will also be useful to philosophical beginners looking for an introduction to the history of ethics or to the more advanced student looking for a review." - David Solomon, H. P and W B. White Director, Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, University of Notre Dame "Clark and Poortenga's book has the advantage of not only being short enough but also of communicating to an undergraduate in a conversational style that is accessible without sacrificing the profundity of the issues it raises. It shows students how thinkers even as remote in time as Plato were asking questions that they-students-discover are their own questions: Is morality all relative? Why is just following the rules good enough? What kind of person do 1 want to become? What is the best way to live my life?" - Rebecca Konyndyk De Young, Calvin College "Clark and Poortenga have constructed a helpful and interesting journey through the history of ethics from ancient times to the contemporary world. Their book is one that will enable students to draw upon a rich philosophical tradition in answering the questions that matter in their own lives." - Gordon Graham, Regius Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of Aberdeen

About this edition

• Publisher: Pearson
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 013097840X
• ISBN 13: 9780130978400
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176