The essays in this volume illuminate a central topic in ethical theory: moral dilemmas. Some contemporary philosophers dispute the traditional view that a true moral dilemma - a situation in which a person has two irreconcilable moral duties - cannot exist. The book provides the historical background to the on-going debate with selections from Kant, Mill, Bradley, and Ross. The best recent work is represented in essays by Donagan, Foot, Hare, Marcus, Nagel, van Fraassen, Williams, and others.

Moral Dilemmas in Real Life purports to supply ways of thinking of, perhaps even dealing with, the ins and outs of ethical argument. The world today presents both individuals and communities with situations, which demand moral and ethical deliberations. From the more general issues of universal globalization to the very specific problems of every-day existence encountered by active agents, contemporary life is replete with moral and ethical conundrums. Any thinking person is required, so it seems, to be concerned, involved, or – at the very least – conversant with these issues and this book supplies the wherewithal needed. Applied ethics is that intellectual locale where theory meets praxis. Moral Dilemmas in Real Life is designed to make that meeting point explicit, by presenting a series of issues in well-grounded philosophical formulations. The book begins with the general relation between the individual and society – instilling ethical tension, and even clashes, between the private and the public in our discourse. Going on, from general to specific, it gradually narrows the ethical playing field to touch on medical ethics, the family, and the practice of punishment. In all cases, the book addresses both consensual and conventional social institutions and distortions thereof.

Do moral dilemmas truly exist? What counts as a moral dilemma? Can an adequate moral theory admit the possibility of genuine conflicts of moral obligations? In this book, twelve prominent moral theorists examine these and other questions from a wide variety of philosophical perspectives. Concerned throughout with the implications of moral dilemmas for moral theory, this collection of essays captures in striking fashion the full scope and vitality of the current moral dilemmas debate. Including both realist and anti-realist meta-ethical positions, and Kantian and consequentialist normative views, Moral Dilemmas and Moral Theory sheds new light on several standing controversies in moral philosophy while raising a fresh set of challenging issues. Contributors include Simon Blackburn, Ruth Barcan Marcus, Alan Donagan, Terrance McConnell, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Mary Mothersill, Norman Dahl, David Brink, Peter Railton, Thomas E. Hill, Jr., Christopher Gowans, and H.E. Mason.

Moral Dilemmas is the second volume of collected essays by the eminent moral philosopher Philippa Foot. It fills the gap between her famous 1978 collection Virtues and Vices (now reissued) and her acclaimed monograph Natural Goodness, published in 2001. Moral Dilemmas presents the best of Professor Foot's work from the late 1970s to the 1990s. In these essays she develops further her influential critique of the 'non-cognitivist' approaches that have dominated moral philosophy over the last fifty years. She shows why it is a mistake to think of morality in terms of special psychological states, expressed in special kinds of judgement and a special 'moral' kind of language. Instead she portrays thoughts about the goodness of human will and action as a particular case of the evaluation of other operations of human beings, and indeed of all living things. Among other topics, she discusses the nature of moral judgement, practical rationality, and the conflict of virtue with desire and self-interest. Moral Dilemmas, alongside Professor Foot's other two books, completes the summation of her distinctive and lasting contribution to twentieth-century moral philosophy.

Now in its Fifth Edition, this respected reference helps readers tackle the common and often challenging ethical issues that affect patient care. The book begins with a concise discussion of clinical ethics that provides the background information essential to understanding key ethical issues. Readers then explore a wide range of real-world ethical dilemmas, each accompanied by expert guidance on salient issues and how to approach them. The book’s two-color design improves retention of material for visual learners. An accompanying website lets readers access the full text, along with features designed to reinforce understanding and test knowledge. New to the Fifth Edition: This edition includes new discussions of ethical issues as they relate to clinical practice guidelines and evidence-based medicine, electronic medical records, genetic testing, and opioid prescription. The book also includes an increased focus on ethical issues in ambulatory care. Readers will also find more detailed analysis of cases, more examples of ethical reasoning, more highlight pages relating clinical ethics to emergency medicine, oncology, palliative care, and family medicine. Also new are discussions of quality improvement and use of advance care planning rather than advance directives.

Dilemmas are often thought to be unresolvable situations, typically having equally abhorrant alternatives. In everyday affairs however one must not only face moral dilemmas but live through them by making moral choices. This book is a study of dilemmas, choices, and the process of reasoning that goes into both. Contents: Carol Harding, "The Psychological Reality of Moral Dilemmas"; Marvin W. Berkowitz, "Four Perspectives on Moral Argumentation"; Georg Lind, "Growth and Regression in Cognitive-Moral Development of Young University Students"; Lawrence Kohlberg, "The Just Community Approach of High School Moral Education"; Larry P. Nucci, "Children's Conceptions of Morality, Societal Convention, and Religious Prescription"; Larry May, "The Moral Adequacy of Kohlberg's Moral Development Theory"; Marilyn Friedman, "Abraham, Socrates, and Heinz: Where Are the Women? Care and Context in Moral Reasoning"; Laurence Hunman, "The Emotions and the Development of Moral Awareness."

In the high-stakes world of spying, do the ends justify the means?