by Lucius Trae

Created on: June 16, 2010

There are a variety of intriguing ethical texts, and it's difficult to select the best. Ultimately, even a subjective list may fail in some respects at accurately reflecting any truths of the matter. With that said, it's important to recognize both the influential ethicists of the past and the more modern texts that, in many ways, are much easier to read from a modern perspective.

To acquire the standard moral theories of philosophy, one should read Kant, Mill, and Aristotle through their works. Kant's ethical writings are contained in "Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, "Critique of Pure Reason," and "Metaphysics of Morals." Mill's views can be found in "Utilitarianism," and Aristotle's perspectives are within Nicomachean Ethics.

Additionally, Plato's "Republic," Spinoza's "Ethics," G.E. Moore's "Principia Ethica," and the works of Bernard Williams are also informative in gaining an understanding of both the development of ethical theories. The majority of these ethicists are more sympathetic or supportive of idea that moral truths and facts exist. Merely for simplicities sake, it's more efficient to consider normative ethics and ethical theory in relation to these types of thinkers. Those who are more skeptical of morality or deny its existence are working from many different angles than the typical ethicist, which makes it quite strange to associate them in the same category. Meta-ethically, the relativists are more appropriately considered than under the context of normative ethics.

Furthermore, there have been many influential ethicists continuing on with Kant's legacy. John Rawls wrote "A Theory of Justice," which has become one of the most influential texts in political theory. Furthermore, Thomas Nagel has defended these ideas with his work "The Possibility of Altruism." This text, in fact, was comprised with a strong knowledge of Rawls - as Rawls has supervised Nagel throughout his studies at college.

Personally, some of my recommendations are Peter Singer's "Animal Liberation" as well as his essay on "Famine, Affluence, and Morality." Furthermore, Derek Parfit has intriguing critics of utilitarianism and applications of philosophy of mind to ethics within his work "Reasons and Persons."

Ultimately, there are many intriguing works in ethical philosophy, and it's often a matter of discovering your general leanings and then pursuing works by similarly minded thinkers. Of course, one must always recognize the benefits of taking the time to consider and reflect on the views one finds objectionable. You never know when you may be mistaken on even those issues you feel most confident about.

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