Consider Ethics: Theory, Readings, and Contemporary Issues, 4th edition

Published by Pearson (July 27, 2019) © 2020
Bruce N. Waller

Title overview

For courses in Ethics and Ethical Theory.

Balancing theory and application

Consider Ethics: Theory, Readings and Contemporary Issues brings major ethical theories to life by tying them to aspects of our day-to-day lives. Author Bruce Waller reveals how ethics play a part in personal relationships, business, cultural conflicts and more. By relating ethical theories to issues that arise naturally in modern life, the text engages students and prompts them to draw their own conclusions.

The 4th Edition includes a new chapter on reflective equilibrium as a method of ethical inquiry. Expanded coverage of critical thinking facilitates discussion of controversial topics.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Author Bruce Waller employs a conversational style to make the text accessible to students from a wide range of backgrounds.
  • Significant selections from primary sources expose students to the actual writings of important philosophical figures. These include Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Hume, Kant, Mill, Darwin, Annette Baier, Susan Wolf and Thomas Nagel.
  • The author incorporates relevant material from psychology, sociology, biology and primatology to enhance understanding of ethical beliefs and ethical behavior.
  • End-of-chapter exercises prompt students to draw out the implications of opposing positions, as well as compare perspectives from various theoretical outlooks.
  • Boxed inserts invite students to explore further aspects of the topic under discussion.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: A new chapter explores reflective equilibrium as a method of ethical inquiry.
  • NEW: The 4th Edition includes detailed examinations of contemporary ethical issues relating to immigration and genetic enhancement.
  • NEW: A detailed discussion of studies from “situationist psychology” explores their implications for our understanding of ethical (and unethical) behavior.
  • NEW: The 4th Edition features fresh coverage of assumptions and metaphors and their pervasive influence on our views concerning ethics.
  • UPDATED: The text's coverage of critical thinking has been expanded, with special attention to the dangers of strawman distortions.
  • NEW: New readings include selections from Rae Langton, John Rawls, Richard Rorty and Jean Hampton.

Table of contents

1. Thinking About Ethics
2. Thinking Critically About Ethics
3. Egoism and Relativism
4. Ethics and Emotions
5. Ethics and Reason
6. Intuitionism
7. Reflective Equilibrium
8. Utilitarian Ethics
9. Social Contract Ethics
10. Care Ethics
11. Virtue Ethics
12. Pluralism and Pragmatism
13. Moral Realism Versus Moral Anti-Realism
14. The Scope of Morality
15. Free Will and Moral Responsibility
16. The Death Penalty
17. Should the Police Use Deceit in Investigations?
18. The Ethics of Immigration
19. The Ethics of Moral Enhancement

Author bios

About our authors

Bruce N. Waller (PhD, UNC Chapel Hill) grew up in the rural north Louisiana hill country. He is currently a professor of philosophy at Youngstown State University, where he has taught for almost 3 decades. In addition to numerous journal articles and several Pearson textbooks, he has written 6 monographs, including Against Moral Responsibility (2011, MIT), The Stubborn System of Moral Responsibility (2015, MIT) and The Injustice of Punishment (2018, Routledge).

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