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Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Clear, accessible... and full of mistakes
Comment: I find it amazing that this book is so popular -- currently in its fifth edition. It is, to put it bluntly, filled with mistakes that no professional philosopher (not to mention one who specializes in ethics!) should ever make. Crucial distinctions are omitted, problems are mischaracterized, basic views are caricatured, contemporary developments are ignored... and so on, throughout the text. The attractiveness of this book lies in its clear, accessible prose... but unfortunately, it ends there, as well; precision and accuracy are sacrificed throughout. When it comes to Pojman, stick with the anthologies.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Mixed feelings - best general overview but full of simple mistakes
Comment: First of all this book is way overpriced here (or maybe in general in English). I own a translated copy which was like 10-15$.

As for the content, at one hand it is the best general overview with many fun examples from literature. It is much better than Rachels's book for example.

On the other hand Pojmans discussions about objectivism (ch. 3) and his chapters on relativism (2), value (4) and meta-ethics (11-12)are deeply confused. The biggest confusion seems to stem from the fact that he does not adequately distinguish between the meta-level and the normative level.

His arguments for normative objectivism seem to get their strength from some realist or meta-ethical objectivist assumptions that aren't given any arguments for. His arguments against Mackie and Harman on meta-level depend on his own assumptions on normative level - he just mixes the meta-level stuff with normative level stuff. His discussion of value is again strange - he says in one footnote that he didn't really need to make a difference between intrinsic value in the sense of end-value (something that is valued as an end in itself) and realist intrinsic value (value that is part of the fabric of the universe, sometimes called inherent value). But that is a very very important distinction since there might be values that are of the first kind while I would deny that there are any of the second kind. He simply dismisses it and then goes on to talk about both interrelatedly and not making clear which he has in mind at the time.

All in all read it if you have to, but if you want to get a good overview on contemporary ethics (especially meta-ethics, which is the foundation to all) start somewhere else. Having some prior understanding of the issues at hand would be good if you intend to read it - this would enable you to see where Pojman commits mistakes.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A good read for the religious ethicist.
Comment: Pojman does a superb job of illustrating many different approaches to ethics, providing examples of practical application of each. This helps the reader develop a critical mind, capable of reasoning his or her way through ethical dilemmas that we all face on a daily basis. Pojman is not afraid to go for the jugular on approaches in which he finds serious flaws, such as cultural and ethical relativism. The reader will find that Pojman does not adhere to one ethical theory in particular, but rather calls for reason and judgment, based on strong moral principles, in every situation. Some situtations call for a utilitarian approach, some for a virtue-ethical approach. Whatever approach he takes, however, will be based in thorough and sound reasoning. This book makes its readers want to be better people.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Thought Provoking Look at Ethical Decision Making
Comment: Louis Pojman does an excellent job of discussing ethical decision making by presenting a variety of arguments and analyzing each one in a variety of different situations. He uses a wide scope of information from ethicists, philosophers and Christian teachings to promote self examination of your own personal code of ethics, all the while reminding you of what is at the core of ethical decisions: people. This thought provoking and unique look at ethics will challenge the reader and help them in their personal interactions and ethical decision making.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good overview, but not impartial
Comment: Pojman does an excellent job of covering a lot of ground in this relatively short book. The writing is clear and easy to understand. However, I would not say that this book invites readers to discover their own ethical theories, as the back cover claims, because Pojman clearly discounts certain ethical theories and embraces others. Rather than discovering right and wrong on one's own, the reader instead is led down a path that discounts relativism and embraces objectivism and virtue ethics. Those aren't bad conclusions to reach, but the author should let the reader reach those conclusions instead of reaching them for him. It can be frustrating to read as Pojman declares a moral theory incorrect when, as the reader, one still sees merit in it.

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