Description
Book SynopsisContemporary Moral and Social Issues makes innovative use of fiction as a vehicle for engaging students to think philosophically about ethical issues. The first three chapters provide a general dialogue on value theory, moral theory, and moral issues in politics.
Table of ContentsPreface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Source Acknowledgments xviii
Part I Introduction: Values 1
1 Fiction: 3
“Too Much.” A young teacher and mother is thinking about her life as she sorts through the mailings from the opposing causes supported by her parents and in-laws 3
Questions 8
2 Discussion: 9
“Too Much” 9
Values 10
Personal Values 10
Some distinctions 10
Happiness as the ultimate personal value 12
Happiness research 14
Other personal values 15
Moral Values 16
Moral values/issues in the story 16
What are moral values 17
Biased moral reasoning 20
Notes and selected sources 21
Definitions 21
Questions 22
3 Readings: 23
Claudia Wallis writes about the “new science of happiness” 23
Robert Nozick discusses his case of the “experience machine” 28
Jonathan Glover discusses the dual values of happiness and flourishing 29
Patrick Grim asks what makes a life good, distinguishing between “lives to envy” and “lives to admire” 32
Louis P. Pojman, Richard Joyce and Shaun Nichols give their views on what morality is 35
Jonathan Haidt discusses biases in our moral reasoning 40
Part II Moral Theory 45
4 Fiction: 47
“Long Live the King.” A fable about townspeople wondering how they should live when messages from the King become confusing, even contradictory 47
Questions 50
5 Discussion: 51
“Long Live the King” 51
Religious ethics 52
God and the good 52
The God perspective 55
Utilitarianism and rights 56
Utilitarianism 56
A first look at rights 58
The idealized human perspective 59
Aristotle and virtue ethics 59
Kant and universalizability 61
Rawls and the ideal agent 63
The unidealized human perspective 65
Evolutionary ethics 65
Basic social contract theory 67
Moral libertarianism 69
Notes and selected sources 70
Definitions 71
Questions 73
Appendix: moral relativism 74
What’s supposed to be relative? 74
Cultural relativism 77
Individual relativism/moral subjectivism 78
Notes and selected sources 80
Definitions 81
Questions 81
6 Readings: 82
Jeremy Bentham presents a classic statement of the principle of utility 82
John Stuart Mill argues that there are higher and lower forms of happiness 84
Peter Singer discusses what ethics is and offers a justification for a utilitarian ethic 86
Immanuel Kant argues that ethics is based on “the categorical imperative” 89
John Rawls argues that from an original position of equality we would reject utilitarianism in favor of his two principles of justice 93
Robert Nozick discusses the moral principles behind his political libertarianism 96
Jeremy Waldron discusses the concept of human rights and gives an argument for “welfare rights” 100
Aristotle analyzes happiness as a life lived according to virtue 103
Jonathan Haidt discusses virtue ethics in the context of positive psychology 106
Jean Grimshaw discusses the idea of a female ethic, reviewing some contemporary writers on the subject 109
Simon Blackburn warns against confusions we should avoid if we read popular literature on ethics and evolution 112
George Lakoff describes two forms of Christianity that parallel two different models of the family 113
James Rachels discusses “the challenge of cultural relativism” 114
Part III Morality and Politics 119
7 Fiction: 121
“The Divided States of America.” In the middle of the tumultuous twenty-first century, the United States has split into four separate districts based on liberalism, conservativism, libertarianism and socialism 121
Questions 129
8 Discussion: 130
“The Divided States of America” 130
Preliminary issues 131
Morality and free markets 131
Democracy 132
Religion in the public square 133
Four political philosophies 134
Libertarianism 136
Conservatism 139
Liberalism 141
Socialism 143
Notes and selected sources 145
Definitions 146
Questions 148
9 Readings: 149
Jerry Z. Muller defines capitalism and talks about some of the tensions between capitalism and democracy 149
Fareed Zakaria analyzes the two strands of “liberal democracy”—democracy and constitutional liberalism 152
Noah Feldman discusses the origins of the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses of the First Amendment 154
John Hospers discusses libertarianism 159
Patrick N. Allitt discusses conservativism 163
Paul Starr discusses liberalism 166
Peter Self discusses socialism 169
Part IV World Poverty 173
10 Fiction: 175
“The River.” A man, living alone in a jungle outpost, is confronted by an increasing number of refugees appearing on the opposite bank of a turbulent river, refugees who will starve unless he ferries them across 175
Questions 181
11 Discussion: 182
“The River” 182
Facts and factual issues 183
World poverty: basic facts 183
Financial aid and economic growth 185
Food aid and the “Green Revolution” 186
Trying to find out what works 187
What, if anything, can individuals do to help? 189
Peter Singer: we owe much to the world’s poor 190
Singer’s Shallow Pond argument 190
Sympathetic critiques and alternate proposals 193
Libertarians: we owe nothing to the world’s poor 196
Arguments of libertarians and social contract theorists 196
Pogge: obligations even on libertarian principles 197
Religion and aiding the poor 198
Notes and selected sources 201
Definitions 202
Questions 203
12 Readings: 204
Nicholas D. Kristof discusses the failures and successes of foreign aid 204
Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo discuss the debate on world poverty and the need for controlled trials to see what interventions work 206
Peter Singer argues that to live a morally decent life, the well-off would have to give most of what they have to the world’s poor 211
Kwame Anthony Appiah argues that we do not owe so much to strangers as Singer claims 214
Jan Narveson, a Libertarian, argues that feeding the hungry is not an obligation 216
Thomas Pogge argues that even on libertarian principles the West has some responsibility for alleviating world poverty 219
Jim Wallis talks about biblical injunctions to help the poor 223
Part V Abortion 227
13 Fiction: 229
“The Blessing of the Blastocysts.” A future disaster leads to the gestation of all human fetuses outside the womb 229
Questions 235
14 Discussion: 236
“The Blessing of the Blastocysts” 236
Facts and factual issues 237
Abortion: definition and statistics 237
Abortion methods 237
Development of the embryo/fetus 238
Legal status of abortion 239
Religious positions 240
Public opinion 241
The complexity of the abortion issue 241
A range of positions 241
The moral versus the legal 242
Practical means to reducing abortion 244
Two central moral issues 244
The moral status of the fetus 245
Fetal development and moral status 245
Pro-life arguments re fetal status 248
Pro-choice arguments re fetal status 249
Moderate-position arguments re fetal status 249
Conflicting claims of the mother versus the fetus 251
Summary 253
Notes and selected sources 254
Definitions 255
Questions 256
15 Readings: 257
Roger A. Paynter discusses different interpretations of what the Bible has to say about abortion 257
John T. Noonan, Jr. argues that abortion is morally wrong 259
Mary Ann Warren argues that fetuses don’t qualify as persons with a right to life 262
Gregg Easterbrook argues that third-trimester abortions—but those only—should be tightly restricted 266
Judith Jarvis Thomson argues that even if it were granted that the fetus is a person, many abortions can still be justified in terms of the rights of the mother 267
Joel Feinberg and Barbara Baum Levenbook consider the claim that even if the fetus is a person, the interests of the mother justify abortion in many cases 272
Jane English thinks a moderate position on abortion can be justified, whether or not the fetus is conceived as a person 275
Part VI Animals 279
16 Fiction: 281
“The Trainers.” An alien race has saved and nurtured a remnant of humanity that survived a nuclear holocaust. The humans are now thriving on a South Sea island. But, as the alien narrator says, “salvation always comes at a price” 281
Questions 285
17 Discussion: 286
“The Trainers” 286
Facts and factual issues 288
Research animals 288
Factory farming 290
Three moral views regarding our use of animals 292
Animal minds 293
Pro-Status Quo views 295
Animal Welfare views 297
Abolitionist views 298
The Speciesist Critique 298
Singer and utilitarianism 301
Regan and animal rights 302
Notes and selected sources 303
Definitions 304
Questions 305
18 Readings: 306
David DeGrazia presents the case for animals feeling pain 306
Robert Nozick asks what moral constraints there are, if any, on the behavior of humans toward animals 311
Peter Singer argues that all creatures who are capable of suffering are entitled to equal concern 313
Tom Regan argues the case for animal rights 318
Carl Cohen defends the use of animals in medical research 323
Matthew Scully pleads for animal welfare, speaking particularly to fellow conservatives and Christians 327
Part VII The Environment 329
19 Fiction: 331
“Museum for a Dying Planet.” The inhabitants of a planet dying from ecological disasters built a self-sustaining habitat/museum so that future visitors would be able to appreciate the beauty that once was their home 331
Questions 335
20 Discussion: 336
“Museum for a Dying Planet” 336
Facts and factual issues 337
Environmental problems 337
A history of environmental issues in the US 337
Global warming 339
Environmental decision-making 340
The assessment of risk 340
Present versus future people 341
Environmental justice 341
Cost–benefit analysis 342
What has inherent moral worth? 343
Humans? Animals? The natural world? 343
Humans (only) 344
Sentient creatures (only) 344
Living things (only) 345
Natural things (only) 347
Natural systems 347
Notes and selected sources 348
Definitions 350
Questions 351
21 Readings: 352
Edmund O. Wilson describes environmental problems and presents two opposing views as to how they should be approached 352
Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King present a mitigationist view re global warming 354
Bjorn Lomborg presents an adaptationist case re global warming 356
Timothy Taylor discusses the problem of how to discount the future, especially in the case of low-probability, high-risk events 358
William Baxter argues for an anthropocentric view of the environment 361
Richard Routley argues against an anthropocentric view of the environment 363
Paul Taylor argues that all living things can be said to have a “good of their own” and are worthy of respect and moral consideration 367
J. Baird Callicott discusses the land ethic of Aldo Leopold 371
Bill Devall and George Sessions discuss “deep ecology” 374
Part VIII Genetics 377
22 Fiction: 379
“People of the Underground.” After a failed rebellion against the “Clenes” (a genetically enhanced part of the human race), the “People” survive in the Caves, claiming to preserve “true humanity” 379
Questions 386
23 Discussion: 387
“People of the Underground” 387
Facts and factual issues 388
In vitro fertilization 388
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) 388
Human genetic engineering (HGE) 389
The case against human genetic engineering 390
1. HGE would be too dangerous 390
2. HGE/PGD would be “playing God” 391
3. HGE/PGD wouldn’t be limited to curing disease 391
4. HGE would lead to a “genetic arms race” 392
5. HGE could undermine religion and ethics 392
6. HGE could lead to totalitarianism 393
7. HGE could lead to Nazi-like eugenics 393
8. HGE could undermine human equality 393
9. HGE could undermine human freedom 394
The case for human genetic engineering 394
Reply to Objection 1 395
Reply to Objection 2 395
Reply to Objection 3 395
Reply to Objection 4 396
Reply to Objection 5 396
Reply to Objection 6 396
Reply to Objection 7 397
Reply to Objection 8 397
Reply to Objection 9 398
Concluding remarks 398
Notes and selected sources 399
Definitions 400
Questions 401
24 Readings: 402
Ronald M. Green discusses some of the fears of genetic enhancement displayed in literature and argues that these fears may simply reflect “status quo bias” 402
Gregory Stock discusses the possibility of “redesigning humans” and argues it will likely happen 405
Jonathan Glover discusses a “genetic supermarket,” positive versus negative genetic engineering and whether human nature should be sacrosanct 408
Francis Fukuyama warns against genetics leading us into a “post-human” future. He thinks genetic engineering should be limited to curing disease and outlines the regulatory changes the US would need to make to accomplish this 412
Bill McKibben argues that human genetic engineering will end up limiting human freedom and that it’s our responsibility—not that of geneticists, doctors and bioethicists—to decide its future course 416
The President’s Council on bioethics gives its analysis of some of the ethical issues regarding future use of PGD 420
