Ethics and Mores of Race

Naomi Zack is a professor of philosophy at the University of Oregon.

In order to ground ethical judgments about race, Zack (Univ. of Oregon) seeks a set of requirements for an "ethics of race." She critically probes the history of philosophical ethics, garnering valuable insights from each historical period and identifying problem areas such as elitism, a lack of a notion of human equality, and an overvaluation of the form of property ownership without regard to what is owned. Zack also argues that philosophical ethics has been limited by its close connection to political theory and ideas of government and that one needs a cosmopolitan view to provide better ethical perspectives on questions of race. Zack makes a valuable distinction between ethics and mores: ethics is a theoretical inquiry neutral of time and place, whereas mores is concretely historical and tied to group practices such as religion, tradition, and family. This important distinction helps readers understand gaps between ethical pronouncements and actual behavior. The author ends with 12 essential requirements for an "ethics of race." This book is significant for advancing contemporary discussions of racial issues. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Ethics, Mores, and RaceChapter 1: Plato and Aristotle's Invention of RaceChapter 2: Cosmopolitan Contributions to an Ethics of RaceChapter 3: Natural Law and InequalityChapter 4: Moral Law and SlaveryChapter 5: Christian Metaphysics and InequalityChapter 6: Social Contract Theory and the Sovereign Nation StateChapter 7: Deontology, Utilitarianism, and RightsConclusion: Egalitarian Humanism and Requirements for an Ethics of RaceSelect BibliographyAbout the Author