ISBN The Moral Philosophers ( An Introduction to Ethics ) book 240 pages

The Moral Philosophers adopts a historical approach to moral philosophy taking in chronological sequence some of the major ethical philosophers of the past. Richard Norman introduces the thought of each figure as a coherent and comprehensive ethical theory exploring their richness and complexity. Each theory is critically examined and presented as an attempt to surmount some of the deficiencies of its predecessor; and through this critical process the book moves towards some concluding suggestions about the content of an acceptable ethical theory. This new edition includes four new chapters: one on Nietzsche and three which provide substantially extended coverage of twentieth-century moral philosophy including discussions of contemporary utilitarianism rights-based ethical theories contractarian ethics and virtue ethics and recent debates between realism and anti-realism in ethics. The Moral Philosophers is designed for undergraduate students and the general reader and is written in clear and non-technical language. It is intended for use as a basic text in an introductory course on ethics with detailed recommended reading sections at the beginning of each chapter.