This module is a resource for lecturers  

 

Advanced reading

 

The following readings are recommended for students interested in exploring the topics of this Module in more detail, and for lecturers teaching the Module:

  • Blackburn, Simon (2009). Ethics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.   » A readable and short introduction to different topics, including his views on threats to ethics, a discussion on ideas like pleasure and happiness as well as some foundational ethical ideas, for example Kant's categorical imperative.
  • Blackburn, Simon (2016). What Do We Really Know? London: Quercus.   » A continued exploration of ethics; important chapters within the context of this Module are Chapter 7, "Is there such a thing as society?" and Chapter 10, "Why be good?"
  • Fukuyama, Francis (1996). Trust: the Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity. New York: Free Press Paperbacks.
  • Handy, Charles (1995). The Empty Raincoat: Making Sense of the Future. Arrow Business Books.   » Ways to make sense of discussions about the future.
  • McIntosh, Malcolm (2018). In Search of the Good Society. Abingdon: Routledge.   » Practical advice from a corporate responsibility perspective.
  • Norman, Richard (1998). The Moral Philosophers. Oxford: Oxford University Press.   » An extremely accessible overview of both ancient and modern moral philosophers. Final chapter, "The ethical world", especially recommended.
  • Rachels, James (2014). The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 8 th edition. McGraw-Hill.   » Explores justice and fairness in more detail, and also writes about the moral community. See especially Chapter 13.5, "The moral community" and Chapter 13.6, "Justice and fairness".
  • Rawls, John (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.   » Challenging but important.
  • Sandel, Michael (2010). Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? New York: Penguin.
  • Sandel, Michael (2004). Liberalism and the Limits of Justice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.   » Sandel's books provide an important contribution to our understanding of justice. For a more accessible contribution, his TED talk is available online.
  • Williams, Bernard (2006). Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis.   » Some challenging philosophical arguments.
 
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