Moral Philosophy

by D.D. Raphael

In this new and enlarged edition of a standard introduction to moral philosophy, Raphael shows in clear and simple language the connections between abstract ethics and practical problems in law, government, medicine, and the social sciences in general. Moral Philosophy deals with six main areas. First, it looks at the two opposed traditions of naturalism and rationalism, and considers more recent discussion in terms of logic and language. Next, it explores the attractions and defects of Utilitarianism, and then turns to its main rival, Kantian ethics, which Raphael favors in a modified form. The third section shows how different moral views are related to different theories about justice and liberty. The fourth examines the problem of free will and determinism in the context of the presuppositions of science, especially in the social sciences. This second edition enlarges the relation of moral philosophy to other concerns, with two new one on ethics and evolution, the other on medical ethics.

Genres: Philosophy

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

د.د. رافائل

David Daiches Raphael was educated at the Liverpool Collegiate School and at University College, Oxford.

Reviews

[Drew Pyke]

If you want to read a detailed book about philosophy without the pretension of lofty and aloof language, this will work for you. I enjoyed reading it because it was well organized (dedicated sections on principles and a comparative analysis between each) instead of a long narrative that many similar books are at fault for. I read this as a student of politics, but would be beneficial for readers of any discipline.

[Matthew Newton]

A good general overview of questions in moral philosophy. Rather dry though and somewhat old-fashioned in its overuse of 'he' and occasional too-casual references to 'primitive cultures'.