Moral Theory

Mark Timmons is professor of philosophy at the University of Arizona. He has published extensively on topics in moral theory, metaethics, and Kant’s ethics. He is author of Morality without Foundations (1999), Kant’s Doctrine of Virtue: A Guide (2021) and editor of the annual Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics.

Like its predecessors, this third edition of Moral Theory offers a well-focused, clear account of moral theories. In a philosophical area marked by the tendency to speak in terms of abstract concepts and isms, Timmons makes frequent, effective use of particular cases, stories, and examples to illustrate the moral theory under discussion…. Throughout, Timmons is careful to present a balanced view of the theory—he mentions both the attractive points and the potential negative points of the theory in question. A useful appendix provides standards for evaluating moral theories. Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers.

• PrefaceAcknowledgments 1. What is Moral Theory? 2. Divine Command Theory3. Moral Relativism4. Natural Law Theory5. Consequentialism 1: Classical Utilitarianism6. Consequentialism 2: Contemporary Developments7. Ethical Egoism8. Kant’s Moral Theory9. Ethics of Prima Facie Duty 10. Moral Contractualism11. Virtue Ethics and Care Ethics 12. Moral Particularism13. ConclusionAppendix: Standards for Evaluating Moral TheoriesGuide to Terminology