Britannica Guide to Ethics

Perspectives on moral behavior and ethical action are wide-ranging, and often involve divergent standards and approaches that produce ambiguous conclusions-yet we still arrive at universals. Echoes of Enlightenment and ancient Greek thinking resonate through the present day, and various thinkers have adapted the same ideas to respond to emerging social, cultural, political, and technological developments and new moral dilemmas. This volume surveys the major theories that form the basis of ethical thought. Sidebars and detailed images shed light on the vacillating world of ethics, and highlight the individuals whose seminal works confront some of our most fundamental human concerns.

Ethics is the business of moral philosophy by which humans try to determine what behaviors are right and wrong; good and bad; noble and ignoble. Each person strives for rectitude as they understand it, while working within the accepted values of a larger group dynamic. The moral view of the larger group is developed and refined within a state of flux, and new circumstances are constantly arising that defy individual consciences and compel each individual to reexamine how he or she applies ethical principles in everyday life. This absorbing volume looks at the development of the three major fields of Western ethics over time, while providing insightful cross-cultural comparisons between ancient moral philosophies of societies across the globe.