Abstract

A Practical Companion to Ethics is a concise and accessible introduction to the basic attitudes and skills that make ethics work, like thinking for oneself, creative and integrative problem-solving, and keeping an open mind. This unique volume illuminates the broad kinds of practical intelligence required in moral judgment, complementing the narrower theoretical considerations that often dominate ethics courses. In fact, the book only devotes one chapter (Ch. 3) to traditional ethical theories. It instead focuses on practical instruction in problem-solving by demonstrating how to frame an ethical problem and deal effectively with ethical disagreements. The book also presents ethics as an ongoing learning experience, helping students to deal with both the complexities of their individual lives and with the larger issues that exist in the world around them. It is a hands-on, personal, and optimistic book. Weston will revise the book in light of the reviews. He plans to expand the ethical theory chapter to include the ethics of care; expand the issues covered to include collective responsibility to future generations, e.g., climate change; reorient chapter 6 to focus more on practical action at a larger scale rather than just at the individual level; and somewhat expand guidance on building moral arguments.