Introduction

This material was developed with the dual aim of easing the financial burden on students and their supporters, while also providing a high-quality primary text for PHIL 2306, Introduction to Ethics.

The text begins with Chapter 1, where ethics is defined, and the essential roles of reason and argumentation in ethical discourse are examined. The chapter concludes by addressing two common yet ultimately benign challenges to the study of ethics.

Chapter 2 builds on these foundational concepts by arguing for the practical value of studying “Ethical Theories” for any thoughtful individual. It then introduces the principal ideas of Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy.

Chapter 3 shifts the focus to a different theory of right action—Utilitarianism. It presents Jeremy Bentham’s original formulation of the theory, followed by a discussion of John Stuart Mill’s refined version.

Chapter 4 moves from the Theory of Right Action to the Theory of Virtue, exploring key concepts in Aristotle’s classic theory of moral virtue and acknowledging the ethical teachings of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 5, though brief, serves as a “crash course” in logic, providing essential tools for ethical reasoning.

The final section of the text examines two significant philosophical essays: Raymond Belliotti’s “A Philosophical Analysis of Sexual Ethics” and Peter Singer’s “Famine, Affluence, and Morality.”

An Appendix is included, offering a selection of valuable online resources to support students in their study of ethics.