A 21st Century Ethical Toolbox

Rating:
Summary: Superb introduction to ethical reasoning
Review: Most introductory ethics textbooks focus on the usual suspects: relativism, egoism, and the major competing ethical theories. In most, a discussion of ethical reasoning is limited to the first chapter of the book. In this expanded version of his previously published *A Practical Companion to Ethics*, Weston provides us with an introduction to ethics that places ethical *reasoning* at the forefront. The traditional material is also given some air time, but always in line with Weston's goal of teaching his readers how to *think* ethically.
Weston's book is a treasure for anyone coming to ethics in a formal manner for the first time. Much of what we see concerning "ethics" is, at best, intellectually sloppy. Weston's book provides us with a set of skills that can be adopted to make ethical reasoning a lot less sloppy, to the sure advantage of everyone. Some of the topic areas include: use of loaded language, how to reframe ethical problems, how to reconclie conflicting values, how to keep ethical debate from bogging down in the mire, how to use theories to make ethical decisions, and how to form novel solutions to ethical problems. His pedagogy is strengthened by his focus, in the last section of the book, on several current ethical issues, which are analyzed using the skills Weston provides in the earlier sections.
Some say skills can't be taught by reading, but Weston's book comes awfully close to putting the lie to this old saw. The activities at the end of each chapter provide both students, teachers, and laypersons with much meat on which to chew, making this an ideal textbook on ethical reasoning. Anyone interested in thinking better about ethics, which should be everyone, can profit greatly from this book, whatever their experience. But for those coming to the field for the first time, Weston's book is indispensible.