Formal Ethics

Formal Ethics studies rational patterns in our ethical thinking. It combines "hard" logic and supposedly "soft" ethics in order to formulate ethical principles more clearly, to organize them into a defensible system, and to help us think more rationally about morality. The most important ethical principle is the so-called Golden Rule: "Treat others as you want to be treated". It finds support among even the most diverse cultures and religions throughout the world; and yet philosophers tend to neglect it. In Formal Ethics Harry J Gensler gives the Golden Rule the attention it deserves. Gensler shows that the basic principles of ethics are very similar to principles of logic and provide a firm basis for our ethical thinking. Throughout, he uses logic not to blind the reader with science but to make things clear; he presents his ideas in a way that beginners can understand and will enjoy; at the same time, even specialists in moral philosophy cannot afford to ignore them. Written with exemplary clarity, Formal Ethics is both an ideal introduction to and a major advance in moral philosophy.