Cover -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Contents -- Notes on Editors and Contributors -- Editors -- Contributors -- Introduction -- The Essays -- Metaethics and Moral Epistemology -- Factual Background of Ethics -- Normative Ethics -- Prospects for Future Ethical Theory -- References -- Part I: Metaethics and Moral Epistemology -- Chapter 1: Moral Realism -- Moral Realism vs Nihilism vs Expressivism -- An Initial Difficulty -- Minimalism -- Why Minimalism Does Not Really Make a Difference -- Expressivism and Internalism -- Naturalistic Moral Realism -- The Open Question Argument -- Nonnaturalistic Moral Realism -- The Open Question Argument, Nihilism and Expressivism -- The Naturalistic Moral Realist's First Response to the Open Question Argument -- The Naturalistic Moral Realist's Second Response to the Open Question Argument -- Externalist Naturalistic Moral Realism -- Internalist Naturalistic Moral Realism -- Should an Internalist Naturalistic Moral Realist Be a Relativist? -- References -- Chapter 2: Relativism -- Expressivism and Relativism -- Approaches That Have Problems with Relativism -- Objectivity and Relativism -- Authority: The Last Word -- References -- Chapter 3: Moral Agreement -- The Argument from Disagreement -- The Convergence Claim -- The Double Badness of Suffering -- References -- Chapter 4: Divine Command Theory -- Formulating the Theory -- Supporting the Theory -- Commanded Christian Love -- Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi -- The Immoralities of the Patriarchs -- Absolute Divine Sovereignty -- Defending the Theory -- The Trivial Natural Theory Objection -- The Moral Skepticism Objection -- The Uselessness Objection -- The Divisiveness Objection -- The Anything Goes Objection -- References -- Chapter 5: Moral Intuition -- Moral Inquiry -- Intuitions -- Theory -- Theory Unchecked by Intuition -- Moral Epistemology.

A Sketch of a Foundationalist Conception of Moral Justification -- Challenges -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Further Reading -- Part II: Factual Background of Ethics -- Chapter 6: Ethics and Evolution -- Evolutionary Ethics -- Empirical Evolutionary Ethics -- Philosophical Evolutionary Ethics -- Moral Nativism -- What Is Innateness? -- What Is a Moral Judgment? -- Different Moral Nativisms -- Why Might Moral Thinking Have Been Adaptive? -- Evidence for Moral Nativism -- Alternative By-product Hypotheses -- Implications for Moral Philosophy -- References -- Chapter 7: Psychological Egoism -- Clarifying Egoism -- Is Egoism Empirically Testable? -- Butler's Stone -- The "Paradox" of Hedonism and Its "Irrationality" -- The Experience Machine -- Burden of Proof -- Parsimony -- An Evolutionary Approach -- Concluding Comments -- References -- Chapter 8: The Science of Ethics -- The Science Wars -- From Psychological Intuitionism to Skepticism -- Debunking Arguments -- Are Intuitions Dominant? -- Epiphenomenal Moral Reasoning -- Culture and Moral Life -- References -- Chapter 9: The Relevance of Responsibility to Morality -- Three Ways in Which Responsibility Is Relevant to Morality -- Responsibility and Reasons for Action -- Responsibility and Causation -- Responsibility and Desert -- References -- Part III: Normative Ethics -- Chapter 10: Act-Utilitarianism -- I -- II -- III -- IV -- V -- References -- Further Reading -- Chapter 11: Rule-Consequentialism -- Introduction -- What Constitutes Benefit? -- Distribution -- Criteria of Rightness versus Decision Procedures -- Formulations of Rule-Consequentialism -- Collapse -- Rule-Consequentialism and the Distribution of Acceptance -- Arguments for Rule-Consequentialism -- Rule-Consequentialism on Prohibitions -- Doing Good for Others -- Conclusion -- References -- Further Reading.

Chapter 12: Nonconsequentialism -- Introduction -- Contemporary Nonconsequentialism Outlined -- Prerogatives -- Constraints -- Harming versus Not-Aiding -- Intending versus Foreseeing Harm -- Complications on the Simple Constraints -- Inviolability -- Nonabsoluteness of Constraints -- Nonconsequentialist Principles for Aiding and Aggregating -- References -- Further Reading -- Chapter 13: Intuitionism -- Varieties of Moral Theory -- Intuitionism -- Objections to Intuitionism -- The Structure of Ross's Intuitionism -- Ross's Conception of "Prima Facie Duty" -- Determining Which Moral Considerations Are Fundamental -- The Rejection of Consequentialism -- The Rejection of Rule-Consequentialism -- Intuitionist Epistemology -- Methodology -- Certainty and Probable Opinion -- Self-Evidence -- What is the Role of the Prima Facie Duties? -- Normativity, Motivation, and Practical Reasons -- The Place of Moral Principles: Generalism or Particularism? -- References -- Further Reading -- Chapter 14: Kantianism -- The A Priori Method in Moral Philosophy -- Categorical and Hypothetical Imperatives -- Autonomy of Moral Agents -- References -- Chapter 15: Contractarianism -- Introduction -- The Background -- Recent Contractarianism -- Kantian Contractarianism -- Hobbesian Contractarianism -- Humean Contractarianism -- Conclusion -- References -- Further Reading -- Chapter 16: Rights -- How Rights Work -- Why Theories Need Rights -- Why Rights Need a Theory -- References -- Further Reading -- Chapter 17: Libertarianism -- The Theory in General -- What Is Libertarianism? -- A Moral Theory - Not an Ethical Theory -- Liberalism and Libertarianism -- Libertarianism as Familiar -- Persons and Self-Ownership -- Libertarianism and Property Rights -- Refinements and Queries -- Fairness and Equity -- Relation to Political Philosophy -- Custom and Community.

Negative and Positive Rights -- Duties and Virtues: Charity, In Particular -- The Duty of Mutual Aid -- Children - A Special Case -- Micro-Liberty -- Foundations: Why Liberty? -- References -- Chapter 18: Virtue Ethics -- The Nature and Variety of Virtue Ethics -- Problems for Contemporary Virtue Ethics -- References -- Chapter 19: Capability Ethics -- What Are Capabilities? -- The Importance of Human Diversity -- Specifying the Capability Approach -- Functionings or Capabilities? -- Selecting and Aggregating of Capabilities? -- Towards a More Complete Capability Theory -- Capabilities and Rights -- An Alternative to Utilitarianism? -- Towards an Ethical Theory -- References -- Chapter 20: Feminist Ethics -- Including Women in Ethical Theory -- Including Women Equally as Objects of Ethical Concern -- Including Women Equally as Moral Subjects -- Is Modern Ethical Theory Male Biased? -- The Values of Modern Theory as Ethically Inadequate -- Modern Conceptions of the Moral Subject as Unrealistic and Repellent -- Modern Conceptions of Moral Rationality as Unrealizable or Pathological -- The Alleged Masculinity of Modern Ethical Theory -- Women's Experience as a Paradigm for Ethical Theory -- Appreciating the Values Implicit in Women's Ethical Practice -- "Feminizing" the Ethical Subject -- Rethinking Moral Rationality -- Ethical Theory: Feminine or Feminist? -- Can Ethical Theory Be Built on Women's Experience? -- Is Women's Moral Experience a Dependable Basis for Feminist Ethical Theory? -- Recent Directions in Feminist Ethical Theory -- From Practice to Theory: The Examples of Health Care, Environmental, and Development Ethics -- Universal or Local Ethics -- Rethinking Ethical Theory -- References -- Chapter 21: Continental Ethics -- Introduction -- Some Major Figures -- G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831) -- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900).

Max Scheler (1874-1928) -- Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) -- Emmanuel Levinas (1906-95) -- Some Implications -- References -- Index.

Building on the strengths of the highly successful first edition, the extensively updated Blackwell Guide to Ethical Theory presents a complete state-of-the-art survey, written by an international team of leading moral philosophers. A new edition of this successful and highly regarded Guide, now reorganized and updated with the addition of significant new material Includes 21 essays written by an international team of leading philosophers Extensive, substantive essays develop the main arguments of all the leading viewpoints in ethical theory Essays new to this edition cover evolution and ethics, capability ethics, virtues and consequences, and the implausibility of virtue ethics.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.