Doing and Being: Selected Readings in Moral Philosophy, 1st edition

Focusing on the field of Virtue Ethics, the book addresses compelling issues through the use of both classic works and groundbreaking new selections, many of which are anthologized here for the first time. Aristotle and Aquinas, Baier and Stocker are among the philosophers whose works are represented. Homosexuality, capital punishment, and wickedness are among the provocative topics addressed.

• Part One, Doing, contains readings from classical and contemporary sources representing the tradition of action-based ethics. Included are standard theories such as relativism, egoism, utilitarianism, and Kantianism, as well as practical issues such as animal rights, capital punishment, and world hunger.

• Part Three, Being, also contains theoretical and practical issues from classical and contemporary sources, but unlike Part One, contains readings representing the tradition of virtue-based ethics, with representative selections from Aristotle, Aquinas, Anscombe, and Maclntyre. Virtues and vices such as friendship, forgiveness, wickedness, and cruelty are explored.

• Part Two, Doing or Being, is a transitional section asking which of the two approaches holds the most promise for the way we approach moral philosophy. Each section contains introductions to the readings, selected bibliographies, and discussion questions.