Applied Ethics: A Multicultural Approach / Edition 6

by Larry May, Jill Delston

Overview

This best-selling text continues to fill an existing gap in the literature taught in applied ethics courses. As a growing number of courses that include the perspectives of diverse cultures are being added to the university curriculum, texts are needed that represent more multicultural and diverse histories and backgrounds. This new edition enhances gender coverage, as nearly half of the pieces are now authored by women. The new edition also increases the percentage of pieces written by those who come from a non-Western background. It offers twelve up-to-date articles (not found in previous editions) on human rights, environmental ethics, poverty, war and violence, gender, race, euthanasia, and abortion; all of these topics are addressed from Western and non-Western perspectives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138936928
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/24/2015
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	606
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Larry May is W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Law, and Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. He has authored or edited over thirty books, most recently on the topics of war and international criminal law. He teaches courses in philosophy of law and the history of political philosophy. Jill B. Delston is an assistant teaching professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Her teaching and research span social and political philosophy, global justice, normative ethics, early modern philosophy, and ancient Greek philosophy.

Table of Contents

I. Theoretical Perspectives II. Human Rights III. Hunger and Poverty IV. War, Terrorism, and Peace V. Racial and Ethnic Discrimination VI. Gender Roles and Morality VII. Abortion VIII. Euthanasia, Sustaining, and Ending Life IX. Environmental Ethics

Preface

This book has filled an existing gap in the literature used in applied ethics courses. The major anthologies in applied ethics contain essays written almost exclusively by American social and moral philosophers. These anthologies leave the student with the impression that there are no viewpoints other than those expressed by Americans, and that ethical and social philosophy has little to do with perspectives of other nations and cultures. More and more courses that include the perspectives of diverse cultures are being added to the curriculum. There is no applied ethics volume comparable to ours—indeed philosophy has been very slow to respond to the call for multiculturalism in our curricula.

Our volume addresses various topics in applied ethics from Western and non-western perspectives. As a result, the typical instructor will have an easier time approaching the material than if the material were segregated, or if the issues were not already well known in the West. Nonetheless, since our book devotes significant attention to the moral perspectives of many different cultures and ethnicities, students will come away from our text having a deeper appreciation for other cultures. We believe that the increasing emphasis on multiculturalism and internationalism across disciplines has set the stage for a very positive reception for a book like ours.

Let us briefly address some of the terminology in the book. We have chosen to use the term "American Indian" rather than "Native American" because of the increasing use of the former instead of the latter in such titles as "American Indian Studies" and because many American Indian people believe that the term "NativeAmerican" does not adequately capture their identity since many non-Indians may also claim to be Native Americans. We have used the term "African American" when referring to Blacks living in America and have retained the term "Blacks" when the designated group was not restricted to Americans.

Many people provided us with valuable suggestions and assistance throughout the years that we worked on this project. We would like to thank Margaret Battin, Karen Warren, Iris Young, Mary Mahowald, Marilyn Friedman, Denward Wilson, and Gloria Cuadraz for valuable suggestions about the book's format and selections. We are especially grateful to Dana Klar from Washington University's Center for American Indian Studies for help with some of the multicultural material. In addition, Kenneth Sharratt, Marilyn Broughton, and Debi Katz have helped in the more technical phases of the book's production. The following reviewers provided helpful suggestions and useful insights for the third edition: Susan Lee Morris, Ferris State University and Jeremiah Hackett, University of South Carolina. Joel Anderson, Kate Parsons, Jennifer Stiff, Dennis Cooley, William Tolhurst and many others who used the first edition gave valuable help on the second edition, as did our students. And finally we would like to thank Ross Miller and the rest of the Prentice Hall staff for their invaluable help and support.

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Editorial Reviews

An anthology of 58 essays on ethics from Western and non-Western perspectives, presenting a wide view of standard issues in contemporary applied ethics such as abortion, euthanasia, and the environment, as well as newer topics including gender roles, violence, and AIDS. Each section begins with a classic essay, followed by a recent response to it. More than half of the essays were written in the past five years, and many are written by contributors who are indigenous to the cultures about which they are writing. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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