Contemporary Moral and Social Issues: An Introduction through Original Fiction, Discussion, and Readings

Contemporary Moral and Social Issues makes innovative use of short fiction—together with primary readings and editorial commentary—as a means of engaging students to think philosophically about ethical issues, better enabling instructors to initiate meaningful discussion. The text presents a combination of ethical theory and practical ethical problems brought to life by a range of pointed, pertinent stories. These stories are entertaining and readable in themselves, and provide a valuable springboard for philosophical discussion. Each chapter combines original fiction, editorial discussion, and in–depth readings, to explore a range of moral issues. Chapters delve into topics related to value theory, moral theory, and applied moral issues in politics, world poverty, abortion, animal welfare, the environment, and genetic engineering. The text uniquely combines the overall guidance of a single–author discussion with the breadth of a reader, while engaging students with entertaining original fiction stories to illustrate each issue.

Thomas D. Davis taught at the University of Michigan, Grinnell College, the University of Redlands, San Jose State University, and De Anza College. In addition to writing four editions of Philosophy: An Introduction Through Original Fiction, Discussion and Readings (fourth edition, 2004), he is the author of three published novels: Suffer Little Children (1991) , Murdered Sleep (1994) , and Consuming Fire (1996) .