Ethics for Everyday with Free Ethics PowerWeb

About the Book

Telling lies, gossiping, practicing adultery, gambling, smoking, using offensive language, corporal punishment of one’s children, copying copyrighted material – these are moral issues that affect, and often deeply affect, our daily lives. Everyday Ethics is a collection of readings devoted to ethical problems like these that confront ordinary people in everyday life. The anthology covers the areas of communication, sex, parents and children, animals, money matters, and body and environment. Nearly all selections are from the late 1980s and the 1990s.

Table of Contents:
Introduction

PART 1: COMMUNICATIONChapter 1: HumourMichael Philips, Introduction

PART 1: COMMUNICATIONChapter 1: HumourMichael Philips, "Racist Acts and Racist Humor"Ronald de Sousa, "When is it wrong to Laugh?"David Benatar, "Prejudice in Jest: When Racial and Gender Humour Harms"

Chapter 2: Sexist speechJanice Moulton, "The Myth of the Neutral 'Man'"Casey Miller & Kate Swift, "Who is Man?"Michael Levin, "Language"

Chapter 3: GossipLaurence Thomas, "The Logic of Gossip"Sissela Bok, "Gossip"Ronald de Sousa, "In Praise of Gossip: Indiscretion as a Saintly Virtue"

Chapter 4: LyingImmanuel Kant, "On A Supposed Right to Lie from Altruistic Motives"Sissela Bok, "Lying"Thomas E. Hill Jr., "Autonomy and Benevolent Lies"

PART 2: SEXChapter 5: Premarital Sex, Promiscuity, and MasturbationVincent C. Punzo, "Morality and Human Sexuality"Frederick Elliston, "In Defense of Promiscuity"Alan Soble, "Masturbation"

Chapter 6: Adultery Richard Wasserstrom, "Is Adultery Immoral?"Mike W. Martin, "Adultery and Fidelity"Raja Halwani, "Virtue Ethics and Adultery"

Chapter 7: HomosexualityMichael Levin, "Why Homosexuality is Abnormal"Burton M. Leiser, "Homosexuality, Morals and the Law of Nature"

PART 3: PARENTS AND CHILDRENChapter 8: Rearing ChildrenFrancis Schrag, "The Child in the Moral Order"Laura Purdy, "The Case Against Equal Rights For Children"David Benatar, "Corporal Punishment"

Chapter 9: Familial and Filial DutiesJames Rachels, "Morality, Parents and Children"Jane English, "What do grown children owe their parents?"Christina Hoff Sommers, "Filial Morality"

PART 4: ANIMALS Chapter 10: Eating Meat and Wearing LeatherPeter Singer, "All Animals are Equal"Tom Regan, "The Case for Animal Rights"R.G. Frey, "Rights, Interests, Desires and Beliefs"Jan Narveson, "A Defense of Meat Eating" Jordan Curnutt, "A New Argument for Vegetarianism"

Chapter 11: PetsKeith Burgess-Jackson, "Doing Right by our Animal Companions"Gary Varner, "Pets, Companion Animals, and Domesticated Partners"

PART 5: MONEY MATTERSChapter 12: Copyright ViolationHelen Nissenbaum, "Should I copy my neighbour's software?"David Carey, "Should Millie Copy?"

Chapter 13: Giving AidPeter Singer, "Rich and Poor"John Arthur, "Famine Relief and the Ideal Moral Code". John M Whelan Jr, "Famine and CharityGarrett Cullity, "The Life-Saving Analogy

Chapter 14: GamblingPeter Collins, "Is Gambling Immoral?"Jeffrie G. Murphy, "Indian Casinos and the Morality of Gambling"

Chapter 15: TippingMark P. Maller, "The Morality of Tipping"

PART 6: BODY AND ENVIRONMENTChapter 16: Substance and SustenanceKeith Butler, "The Moral Status of SmokingTibor Machan, "Morality and Smoking"Dan W. Brock, "The Use of Drugs for Pleasure: Some Philosophical Issues"Elizabeth Tefler, "The Pleasures of Eating and Drinking"

Chapter 17: The Environment, Cars and ConsumptionJames C. Anderson & Ronald Sandler, "The Least We Can Do" Julia Meaton & David Morrice, "Individual Freedom and the Ethics of Private Car Use" Judith Lichtenberg, "Consuming Because Others Consume"

PART 7: VIRTUES AND VICES Chapter 18: ForgivenessJeffrie Murphy, "Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Responding to Evil"Norvin Richards, "Forgiveness"Paul M. Hughes, "Moral Anger, Forgiving, and Condoning"

Chapter 19: Modesty Julia Driver, "Modesty and Ignorance"G.F. Scheuler, "Why Is Modesty a Virtue?"

Chapter 20: PolitenessFelicia Ackerman, "A Man by Nothing is so well Betrayed as by his Manners? Politeness as a Virtue"Sarah Buss, "Appearing Respectful: The Moral Significance of Manners"

Chapter 21: Gratitude Fred R. Berger, "Gratitude"Patrick Fitzgerald, "Gratitude and Justice"

Chapter 22: Jealousy and Envy Immanuel Kant, "Jealousy and its offspring - envy and grudge"Daniel Farrell, "Of Jealousy and Envy"Racist Acts and Racist Humor"Ronald de Sousa, "When is it wrong to Laugh?"David Benatar, "Prejudice in Jest: When Racial and Gender Humour Harms"

Chapter 2: Sexist speechJanice Moulton, "The Myth of the Neutral 'Man'"Casey Miller & Kate Swift, "Who is Man?"Michael Levin, "Language"

Chapter 3: GossipLaurence Thomas, "The Logic of Gossip"Sissela Bok, "Gossip"Ronald de Sousa, "In Praise of Gossip: Indiscretion as a Saintly Virtue"

Chapter 4: LyingImmanuel Kant, "On A Supposed Right to Lie from Altruistic Motives"Sissela Bok, Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life, 1978Thomas E. Hill Jr., "Autonomy and Benevolent Lies"

PART 2: SEXChapter 5: Premarital Sex, Promiscuity, and MasturbationVincent C. Punzo, "Morality and Human Sexuality"Frederick Elliston, "In Defense of Promiscuity"Alan Soble, "Masturbation"

Chapter 6: Adultery Richard Wasserstrom, "Is Adultery Immoral?"Mike W. Martin, "Adultery and Fidelity"Raja Halwani, "Virtue Ethics and Adultery"

Chapter 7: HomosexualityMichael Levin, "Why Homosexuality is Abnormal"Burton M. Leiser, "Homosexuality, Morals and the Law of Nature"

PART 3: PARENTS AND CHILDRENChapter 8: Rearing ChildrenFrancis Schrag, "The Child in the Moral Order"Laura Purdy, "The Case Against Equal Rights For Children"David Benatar, "Corporal Punishment"

Chapter 9: Familial and Filial DutiesJames Rachels, "Morality, Parents and Children"Jane English, "What do grown children owe their parents?"Christina Hoff Sommers, "Filial Morality"

PART 4: ANIMALS Chapter 10: Eating Meat and Wearing LeatherPeter Singer, "All Animals are Equal"Tom Regan, "The Case for Animal Rights"R.G. Frey, "Rights, Interests, Desires and Beliefs"Jan Narveson, "A Defense of Meat Eating" Jordan Curnutt, "A New Argument for Vegetarianism"

Chapter 11: PetsKeith Burgess-Jackson, "Doing Right by our Animal Companions"Gary Varner, "Pets, Companion Animals, and Domesticated Partners"

PART 5: MONEY MATTERSChapter 12: Copyright ViolationHelen Nissenbaum, "Should I copy my neighbour's software?"David Carey, "Should Millie Copy?"

Chapter 13: Giving AidPeter Singer, "Rich and Poor"John Arthur, "Famine Relief and the Ideal Moral Code". John M Whelan Jr, "Famine and CharityGarrett Cullity, "The Life-Saving Analogy

Chapter 14: GamblingPeter Collins, "Is Gambling Immoral?"Jeffrie G. Murphy, "Indian Casinos and the Morality of Gambling"

Chapter 15: TippingMark P. Maller, "The Morality of Tipping"

PART 6: BODY AND ENVIRONMENTChapter 16: Substance and SustenanceKeith Butler, "The Moral Status of SmokingTibor Machan, "Morality and Smoking"Dan W. Brock, "The Use of Drugs for Pleasure: Some Philosophical Issues"Elizabeth Tefler, "The Pleasures of Eating and Drinking"

Chapter 17: The Environment, Cars and ConsumptionJames C. Anderson & Ronald Sandler, "The Least We Can Do" Julia Meaton & David Morrice, "Individual Freedom and the Ethics of Private Car Use" Judith Lichtenberg, "Consuming Because Others Consume"

PART 7: VIRTUES AND VICES Chapter 18: ForgivenessJeffrie Murphy, "Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Responding to Evil"Norvin Richards, "Forgiveness"Paul M. Hughes, "Moral Anger, Forgiving, and Condoning"

Chapter 19: Modesty Julia Driver, "Modesty and Ignorance"G.F. Scheuler, "Why Is Modesty a Virtue?"

Chapter 20: PolitenessFelicia Ackerman, "A Man by Nothing is so well Betrayed as by his Manners? Politeness as a Virtue"Sarah Buss, "Appearing Respectful: The Moral Significance of Manners"

Chapter 21: Gratitude Fred R. Berger, "Gratitude"Patrick Fitzgerald, "Gratitude and Justice"

Chapter 22: Jealousy and Envy Immanuel Kant, "Jealousy and its offspring - envy and grudge"Daniel Farrell, "Of Jealousy and Envy"

About the Author :
David Benatar is currently Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy Department at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He received his Ph.D. from that university, did post-doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1993 to 1995, and was Visiting Assistant Professor at the College of Charleston, South Carolina, from 1995 until 1997. His teaching and research interests are in moral philosophy and related areas. In 1999 he was awarded the University of Cape Towns Distinguished Teacher Award.