Disputed Moral Issues: A Reader

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195388720 ISBN 13: 9780195388725

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2010

Ideal for courses in contemporary moral problems, introduction to ethics, and applied ethics, Disputed Moral Issues: A Reader, Second Edition, is a comprehensive anthology that brings together seventy-four engaging articles on a wide range of contemporary moral issues. Carefully selected and edited for an undergraduate audience, the essays are organized into thirteen chapters that cover moral theory; sexual morality and marriage; pornography, hate speech, and censorship; drugs, gambling, and addiction; sexism, racism, and reparation; euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide; the ethical treatment of animals; abortion; cloning and genetic enhancement; the death penalty; war, terrorism, and torture; world hunger and poverty; and the environment, consumption, and global warming.

Striking a unique balance between moral theory and applied ethics, editor Mark Timmons provides students with an accessible Moral Theory Primer (Chapter 1), in which he outlines the guiding principles of moral theory, presents six central moral theories, and relates those theories to the issues debated in the articles. Chapter 2--new to this edition--features six readings in moral theory that correspond to the theories presented in the primer. Each of the remaining chapters is preceded by an introduction, and each selection is preceded by a brief summary and reader cues, which direct students to a specific section of the Moral Theory Primer in order to best help them understand the essay in question. A "Quick Guide to Moral Theories" appendix and an extensive glossary of key terms further enhance the text. A "User's Guide," which follows the preface, shows instructors how they can integrate moral theories and applied ethics into their courses.

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

* Twenty-one contemporary readings, including six selections in a new chapter on moral theories
* Reading and discussion questions after each selection
* Lists of "Additional Resources" at the end of each chapter featuring annotated guides to both print and online resources
* An Instructor's Manual on CD that provides chapter summaries and goals, quizzes, sample syllabi, references to media and web resources, and sample PowerPoint-based presentations
* A Companion Website at www.oup.com/us/timmons containing the material from the Instructor's Manual as well as student resources (self-quizzes, web links, and suggested readings)

About the Author:

Mark Timmons is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Arizona.

Review:

"To most philosophers, a strength of this reader will be Timmons' excellent opening section on moral theory. This is the best text I've found in the last half dozen years."--Christopher Morris, University of Maryland

"This is an engaging, wonderfully edited collection, dealing with a very large range of issues in practical and applied ethics. The selections are very well chosen and presented. I think the author's writing style is excellent. It is clear and direct, and the author deals with sophisticated positions without either dumbing them down or expecting too much of the reader."--Simon Keller, Boston University

"This is one of the best readers that I have used for this course. The greatest strengths are Timmons' 'Primer' as well as his introductions to the chapters. The book provides an overview of the most important contemporary moral problems, and it has very well thought out sets of opposing views regarding each major topic. It lends itself very nicely to class discussion, and to encouraging students' interests and skills in thinking critically and writing rigorously about these issues."--Leo Zaibert, University of Wisconsin-Parkside

"This is an excellent reader. It is the best of the four readers I have used in the last six years. The editor's introduction and section introductions are particularly strong, both in terms of clarity and relevance. The selections are also excellent. The book has the articles that I like, and I feel confident about relying on the editor's introductions to supplement the material in a way that I think is clearly explained, accurate, and not condescending."--Valerie Tiberius, University of Minnesota

"Mark Timmons has produced an excellent anthology of readings from contemporary thinkers on moral issues that are relevant to the present-day world. The anthology covers a broad spectrum of moral issues and contains many of the 'classics' in the field. The reading selections for each topic are well-balanced in terms of liberal, moderate, and conservative views. The moral theory primer at the beginning of the book is excellent."--William J. Garland, Sewanee, The University of the South

"I like this book. I like the clear and careful way that Timmons relates the readings to the moral theories discussed in the first chapter. He shows that moral theories really are helpful in thinking about contemporary moral issues and that the fundamental themes of the major theories influence the writers he selects."--Charles Edwin Harris, Jr., Texas A&M University

"Overall I would rate this reader as excellent. Timmons is an excellent writer. The book is very clear, very well-organized, and nicely illustrated with examples."--Jon Tresan, University of Florida