Ethics is what makes and keeps us human. As the headlines remind us, however, we do not always take the time to consciously consider our choices about how we could and should behave.
Jeremy Stangroom is an elected Fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion. He is a cofounder of The New Philosophers' Magazine and its New Media editor. In this thought-provoking paperback, he presents 25 ethical conundrums designed to spur assessment and discussion on some of the important issues of the day. Here are a few examples:
• Are we really sorry that Hitler existed?
• Can I bring poison onto a bus?
• Is it sometimes right to torture?
• Should pornography be banned?
Stangroom analyses each conundrum, fills in its philosophical implications, and suggests possible solutions and implications.
In the introduction, he shares three essential philosophical approaches which can be used to deal with ethical conundrums: utilitarianism as espoused by the 18th century Jeremy Bentham; deontological ethics as explained by Immanuel Kant; and virtue ethics as rooted in Greek philosophy.
Stangroom has organized the ethical conundrums into sections: ethical impasses, rights and responsibilities, crime and punishment, and society and politics. Consider Would You Eat Your Cat? as practice sessions for your ethical perspective.
