The very best books?: Philosophy Forums

The very best books?
The best books on applied ethics and decision making.

The very best books?

JackLind
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Posted 08/24/06 - 04:54 PM: Subject: The very best books?	#1
Hi I’m looking for books about applied ethics and ethical decision making. Are there any books any of you can recommend? I’m not looking for introduction book to ethics in general or to applied ethics! And I’m not just looking for books that are just good (if I wonted that I could just read review on amazon . I’m looking for the books that you guys think are the best in these fields, books that are really special. (you favourites, the ones you have learned the most from ) Hope you have some suggestions. Thanks Jack

jared3000
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Posted 08/24/06 - 05:11 PM:	#2
Aristotle: Nichomachean Ethics Marcus Aurilius: Meditations Kant: Groundwork for a Metaphysics of Morals Nietzsche: The Gay Science, Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, Geneology of Morals Rawls: Theory of Justice Camus: The Rebel These are all books I've read; you'll find Aristotle, Aurilius, Nietzsche and Camus overlap in some regards and Kant and Rawls overlap in others. These are not everything. Have fun
"Sweet fancy Moses!"-Seinfeld sportivethoughts.blogspot.com

JackLind
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Posted 08/25/06 - 06:14 AM:	#3
Thanks for the reply jared3000. I'm not sure I made myself entirely clear. I would like books on Practical/Applied ethics and/or ethical decision making. And not books in the line of normative ethics. I actually do have a degree in philosophy. During my studies I just didn’t get the chance to study practical ethics etc. all that much. I’m looking for books that focus on the use of ethical theories in the real world. P.s. I may give some of the books you suggest a try later on. It’s just not what I’m looking for now

JackLind
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Posted 08/25/06 - 07:27 AM:	#4
MrPootys wrote: You cant forget The Ethics by Spinoza That's still not quite what I'm looking for.

JackLind
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Posted 08/25/06 - 08:37 AM:	#5
If anyone out there are still confused about what I’m looking for, it’s book along this line: "What's Wrong?: Applied Ethicists and Their Critics" by David Boonin and Graham Oddie "Practical Ethics" by Peter Singer "Contemporary Debates in Applied Ethics" by Andrew Cohen and H. E. A. Wellman Or "Philosophy & This Actual World: An Introduction to Practical Philosophical Inquiry" by Martin Benjamin Plain and simple. Books about applied ethics. I just don't know which ones are really good reading!

jared3000
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Posted 08/25/06 - 11:42 AM:	#6
My mistake! However, Rawls does have significant relevance to applied ethics; I might even say Camus' Rebel deals heavily with the problem of applying moral theories in general. Aristotle's Ethics was, after all, a guidbook on what and how to teach the youth about daily life. And don't forget Spinoza. Other than that, I don't know much about applied ethics per se, besides the fact that the field has some overlap with economics, politics, and psychology.
"Sweet fancy Moses!"-Seinfeld sportivethoughts.blogspot.com

Er
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Posted 08/30/06 - 11:43 AM:	#7
You mentioned "Practical Ethics" by Singer, but it was not clear if you have actually read it. If you have not read it, I would recommend it very much. It covers a variety of topics from poverty to abortion to animal rights. His reasoning is very clear and easy to follow and it is also a fairly quick read.

ade90212
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Posted 08/30/06 - 01:52 PM:	#8
Matters of LIfe and Death edited by Tom Regan (difficult to find). A Companion to Applied Ethics editied by Ray Frey and Christopher Wellman (easier to find). I can also say that Practical Ethics is a useful introduction to ethical thinking even if you don't necessarily agree with Singer's conclusions.
"Philosophers often behave like little children who scribble some marks on a piece of paper at random and then ask the grown-up "What's that?" - It happened like this: the grown-up had drawn pictures for the child several times and said: "this is a man", "this is a house", etc. And then the child makes some marks too and asks: what's this then?" - Ludwig Wittgenstein, Culture and Value

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