Historical Dictionary of Ethics

Daniel Bonevac is professor of philosophy and Human Dimensions of Organizations at the University of Texas at Austin. He has previously written Deduction, Worldly Wisdom, Simple Logic, The Art and Science of Logic, and Reduction in the Abstract Sciences, and edited Today’s Moral Issues, An Introduction to World Philosophy (with Stephen Phillips), Understanding Non-Western Philosophy (with Stephen Phillips), and Beyond the Western Tradition (with William Boon and Stephen Phillips). Working chiefly at the intersection of logic and ethics, he has taught courses in ethics for more than forty years; his YouTube channel has around seventy thousand subscribers and five million views. lo

This 2nd edition of The Historical Dictionary of Ethics is both comprehensive and vast, covering the landscape of ethical thought from 32 BCE to the 20th century. With more than 600 entries covering terms, concepts, theories, and the history of thinkers from all eras throughout history, this book provides an invaluable resource to students, professors, researchers, and pretty much anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of ethics and its development throughout history. Including a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography, the dictionary is both accessible and comprehensive. The reader will find that the entries are highly informative, offering clear definitions and concise contextual explanations. The entries are also cross-referenced, which facilitates further exploration, and the inclusion of both Western and non-Western traditions broadens the knowledge and understanding of ethics. Notably, the dictionary covers both analytic and Continental approaches to contemporary moral thinking, reflecting the diversity of modern-day ethical discourse. Overall this dictionary's comprehensive coverage and valuable supplemental materials make it a resource a broad audience. Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.