Moral Imagination: Confronting the Ethical Issues of Our Day

by Edward Tivnan

Overview

From Simon & Schuster, Moral Imagination is Edward Tivan's writings on confronting the ethical issues of our day.

When it comes to the most controversial moral questions of our lives - abortion, euthanasia, suicide, capital punishment, racial justice, and affirmative action - there is a right and wrong, but no one owns the truth. This book guides us through the opposing arguments on these profound issues, opening up ways for our pluralistic society to think about them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780684824765
Publisher:	Touchstone
Publication date:	07/12/1996
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Edward Tivnan is the author of Moral Imagination, a Simon & Schuster book.

Editorial Reviews

Tivnan (The Lobby) here examines the hot issues of our time with a beguiling cool. He traces the history of attitudes toward such problematic issues as abortion, euthanasia, suicide, racial justice and capital punishment, discussing the merits of various arguments in a manner that dissipates the heat from them even when there is no meeting ground. He points out, for example, that in earlier eras, the church has supported abortion and various societies have encouraged it. Similarly, suicide was considered noble by ancient Greeks and, until recently, by the Japanese. Although evenhanded in all his treatment, he lists the moral issues that need to be confronted. On capital punishment, for instance, he questions whether ``a society that presumes itself to be decent [can] kill even its most vicious criminals.'' He suggests that to cool the arguments in all these matters, a ``moral imagination'' is needed that includes historical perspective and tolerance. A thoughtful guide through the minefield of opposing convictions. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The author discusses five subjects-abortion, suicide, euthanasia, capital punishment, and racial justice-by collecting arguments from the writing of authorities on each issue. Unfortunately, these arguments rarely focus specifically on each other so there is no impression of careful thought on the subjects. At the end of each chapter, Tivnan offers his own opinion about the topic-views marred by vagueness, oversimplification, emotionalism, and omission of important considerations. Readers interested in the five subjects should read either a collection of connected opposed views, such as Moral Issues (Oxford Univ. Pr., ed. by Jan Narveson, 1983), or some incisive sustained argument by a particular author, such as in Narveson's own Moral Matters (Broadview Pr., 1993). Not recommended.-Robert Hoffman, York Coll., CUNY

Library Journal