Ethics Matters

How do we know the difference between right and wrong? How can we make decisions about issues from germ-line genetic engineering to the regulation of banking, from nuclear power to ethnic bioweapons, from end-of-life care to global warming? What does it mean to live a good life?

Ethics Matters introduces students and general readers to the business of making moral decisions, engaging them in meaningful dialogue and inspiring them to find out more. Beginning with a discussion of the question of truth in Ethics, Peter and Charlotte Vardy outline and evaluate major approaches to doing ethics from Natural Law and Virtue Ethics to Situation Ethics and Postmodernism, considering how these might inform decision making in today's world.

Ethics Matters places the latest scholarship in context, clarifying how it relates to today's biggest challenges, without in any sense 'dumbing down'. The style is engaging and accessible; good use is made of examples from film, literature and current affairs to shine a light on the fundamental philosophic questions which underpin practical dilemmas.

About the Author

Peter Vardy was Vice-Principal of Heythrop College, University of London, from 1999-2011. He lectures extensively to teachers and students around the world and his bestselling books are a fixture on reading lists, known for being accessible and entertaining without oversimplifying complex material.

Charlotte Vardy is an experienced secondary-school teacher of Philosophy and Religious Studies and tutored at the University of London for seven years. She currently speaks at teacher-training and student events around the world and works as a consultant for charities and educational organizations.