Three Challenges to Ethics: Environmentalism, Feminism, and Multiculturalism / Edition 1

by James P. Sterba

Overview

In this unique work, James P. Sterba argues that traditional ethics has yet to confront the three significant challenges posed by environmentalism, feminism, and multiculturalism. He maintains that while traditional ethics has been quite successful at dealing with the problems it faces, it has not addressed the possibility that its solutions to these problems are biased in favor of humans, men, and Western culture. In Three Challenges to Ethics: Environmentalism, Feminism, and Multiculturalism, Sterba examines each of these challenges. In the case of environmentalism, he argues that traditional ethics must incorporate conflict resolution principles that favor nonhumans over humans in a significant range of cases. In terms of feminism, he maintains that traditional ethics should rule out gendered family structures and implement an ideal of androgyny. In regard to multiculturalism, he contends that traditional ethics must endorse an ethics that is secular in character and that can survive an extensive comparative evaluation of both Western and non-Western moral ideals and cultures. The only textbook devoted to this topic, Three Challenges to Ethics is an engaging text for introductory courses in ethics and moral problems and is also interesting and provocative reading for scholars and general readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195124767
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/31/2000
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	8.27(w) x 5.58(h) x 0.49(d)

About the Author

James P. Sterba is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.

Table of Contents

Preface1. INTRODUCTIONTraditional Ethics2. ENVIRONMENTALISMThe Human Bias in Traditional Ethics and How to Correct It3. FEMINISMThe Masculine Bias in Traditional Ethics and How to Correct it4. MULTICULTURALISMThe Western Bias in Traditional Ethics and How to Correct It5. CONCLUSIONA Peacemaking Way of Doing PhilosophyNotesBibliographyIndex