Review: "Talking About Ethics" (manuscript)

 

            Talking About Ethics: A Conversational Approach to Moral Dilemmas by Michael S. Jones, Mark J. Farnham, and David L. Saxon is an unusual ethic book/text in that – as the title says – rather than “simply" putting forth one or more arguments for a certain position, the authors have three students dialogue about the issues and see what their philosophical and theological positions are on a variety of moral issues and attempt to defend them to each other.

In the first chapter, the authors define ethical relativism and ethical absolutism, and argue for why one or the other might be the better understanding of reality.

After this introduction to approaching the issues, the rest of the chapters are discussion between three students – either in class or at a local coffee shop.

They cover discussions about immigration, capital punishment, torture, animal rights, legalizing narcotics, abortion, euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, organ transplantation, reproductive technology/human cloning, premarital sex, homosexuality, gender identity, environmentalism, world hunger, and war.

After each chapter, there is a selection of questions for reflection/discussion, a listed of important terms, and a list of other books – from varying positions on the topics discussed – for further reading.

The authors write with this being a textbook in mind, though it could easily be used for small group studies, and individual study and reflection.  The variety of views are well covered, and the students interact genially and thoughtfully.

The book ends with a selected bibliography and an index.

This book has much to recommend it:  the number of issues discussed, the examination of different issues, and the helps of questions, terms, and other resources noted.  I think it will catch on both as a textbook and as a book for personal study on these issues.

The only negative thing I have to say about it is that I found the dialogue difficult to follow.  I prefer – and better follow – a sustained argument from one side of an issue and then another argument, etc.  The back and forth of the dialogue confused me and made it hard to read.  I believe that is a matter of my own personality and way of learning.  But it is something to consider.

            I received this book for free in return for an honest review.

            [This review appears on my blog, my YouTube channel, Kregel.com, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]