Theories of Ethics: A Study in Moral Obligation

The book begins by defining the scope of theoretical ethics and classifying ethical theories according to their treatment of moral language, knowledge, values, and obligation. Part I, Non-Cognitive Theories, examines emotive interpretations of ethical statements and the nature of moral disagreement, focusing particularly on Ayer and Stevenson. Part II, Cognitive Interpretations of Moral Phenomena, is divided into two sections. The first studies teleological theories, including psychological, egoistic, and universalistic hedonism, Nietzsche’s revaluation of values, and the value theories of Moore, Scheler, and Hartmann. The second examines theories of obligation through Kantian ethics and major deontological approaches. The concluding chapter proposes a reorientation of ethics based on rational moral judgment, the distinction between value and obligation, and the commitments of human beings as responsible moral agents.