The Elements of Moral Philosophy
- The Elements of Moral Philosophy
infobox Book
author = Rachels, James
name = The Elements of Moral Philosophy
country = United States
language = English
subject = Ethics
genre = Philosophy
publisher = McGraw-Hill
release_date = 1986
media_type = Hardcover, Paperback
isbn = ISBN 007282574X
"The Elements of Moral Philosophy" is a 1986 book by American philosopher James Rachels. This introduction to ethics has sold over 750,000 copies and might be the best-selling book in all of philosophy. Among some of the subjects covered by Rachels are ethical and simple subjectivism, emotivism, as well as ethical and psychological egoism, to name a few. The text uses real-world examples to highlight points regarding complex philosophical principles. Rachels had a history of using such examples.
The book's main contention is that ethical judgments should be derived through the use of reason. Rachels provides arguments against ethical philosophies like Cultural Relativism and Ethical subjectivism. He argues that the use of reason, argumentation, and proper justification are sufficient to prove ethical judgments to be correct.
The book is currently in its fifth edition, and has been revised by James' son, Stuart Rachels.
External links
*http://www.articlemyriad.com/83.htm Short chapter-by-chapter summaries of "The Elements of Moral Philosophy"
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