Annotated Bibliography
Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Translated by W.D. Ross. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1925.
This is a classic work in ethical theory. A tough but very rewarding read in which Aristotle articulates and defends his vision of virtue ethics and, more generally, the good life. Written in 350 BC.
Audi, Robert. The Good and the Right: A Theory of Intuition and Intrinsic Value. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004.
An excellent contemporary defense of intuitionist ethics.
Beauchamp, Tom L. and James F. Childress. Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 5th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
One of the best introductory texts on ethical issues in health care.
Bourgeois, Warren. Persons: What Philosophers Say About You. 2nd edition. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2003.
If you want to know Warren’s views better, skim chapters 16 and 17.
Brandt, R. B. A Theory of the Good and the Right. New York: Oxford University Press, 1979.
Brandt, R. B. Morality, Utlitarianism, and Rights. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
A contemporary defense of rule utilitarian by an influential moral philosopher.
Brink, David O. Moral Realism and the Foundations of Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
An important and carefully argued book addressing issues in both metaethics and normative ethics. In metaethics, Brink defends a form of “externalist moral realism”. In normative ethics, he argues for a utilitarian view based on an objectivist account of the good.
Burkhardt, Margaret A. and Nathaniel, Alvita K. Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing. Albany, N.Y.: Delmar, 1998.
This looks at US legal issues and ethical issues together and considers relations between them.
Christilaw, Jan E. “Cesarean Section by Choice: Constructing a Reproductive Rights Framework for the Debate”, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 94, no. 3, 2006: pp. 262-68.
Crigger, Bette-Jane. Cases in Bioethics: Selections from the Hastings Center Report. 3rd Edition. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998.
This is a wide-ranging book of cases with brief commentaries.
Cragg, Wesley. Ed. Contemporary Moral Issues. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, Ryerson, 1992.
This collection has chapters on euthanasia, abortion, and environmental issues, including legal background as well as a variety of articles not by or for academics. In the environmental section, Robert E. Goodin's selection is useful as a primer on applied utilitarianism and objections to it.
Daniels, Norman. “Health-Care Needs and Distributive Justice”, in his Justice and Justification. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
Daniels, Norman. “Reflective Equilibrium” in the Stanford Enyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/reflective-equilibrium/
A very clear summary of the concept of reflective equilibrium.
Dworkin, Gerald. “Paternalism”, The Monist, 56, 1972.
A classic and influential article on paternalism.
Dworkin, Gerald, R.G Frey, and Sissela Bok. Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
A short, very readable introduction to some of the moral and legal issues concerning the practice of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Dworkin and Frey argue for the moral and legal permissibility of these practices, while Bok argues against.
Dworkin, Gerald. “Paternalism”, in the Stanford Enyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/paternalism/
An excellent overview of the concept of paternalism, written by one of the most influential philosophers on the subject.
“Fallacies”. In The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://www.iep.utm.edu/fallacy/
Feldman, Fred. Pleasure and the Good Life: Concerning the Nature, Varieties, and Plausibility of Hedonism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
A contemporary defense of a hedonistic account of the good life.
Foot, Philippa. Virtues and Vices. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. [This is cited in ch. 4.]
A collection of important articles by a very influential contemporary virtue theorist
Gilligan, Carol. In A Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development.. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982.
Gilligan took umbrage with the idea that a principled approach to ethics was superior to a caring approach. This is a seminal book for Care Ethics.
Goodin, Robert E. "Ethical principles for environmental protection." In Cragg pp. 323-335.
See comments on Cragg above.
Gorovitz, Samuel, ed. Mill: Utilitarianism with critical essays. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merril, 1971.
J.S. Mills famous essay "Utilitarianism" is collected here with comments and opposing viewpoints by well-known contemporary philosophers.
Griffin, James. Well-Being: It’s Meaning, Measurement, and Moral Importance. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
An excellent examination of various theories of well-being.
Grisso, Thomas, and Paul S. Appelbaum. Assessing Competence to Consent to Treatment: A Guide for Physicians and Other Health Professionals. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Harris, John, ed. Bioethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
An excellent collection of important essays on topics in bioethics.
Hill, Thomas. Commentary on the Groundwork. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
A defense of Kant’s ethics by an excellent contemporary philosopher.
Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. C. B. Macpherson, ed. London: Penguin Books, 1968. The Leviathan was first published in 1651. [What version of Leviathan is referred to in Ch. 2 (p. 51)?]
Hooker, Brad. “Rule Consequentialism”, in the Stanford Enyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consequentialism-rule/
An excellent, detailed introduction to rule consequentialism.
Hurka, Thomas. Virtues, Vices and Morals. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
An outstanding defense of virtue ethics by a leading contemporary virtue ethicists.
Hursthouse, Rosalind. On Virtue Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Another excellent defense of virtue ethics by a contemporary philosopher.
Hursthouse, Rosalind. “Virtue Theory and Abortion”, Philosophy and Public Affairs, 20, no. 3, 1991: pp. 223-246.
An introduction to Hursthouse’s version of virtue ethics and its application to the problem of abortion. Patrick’s arguments on abortion are inspired by Hursthouse’s work.
Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals. Translated by H.J. Paton. New York: Harper and Row, 1964.
A classic in ethical theory. This is very tough going, but will help to give detail to Kant’s theory described in chapter 2.
Keatings, Margaret and Smith, Oneil B. Ethical and Legal Issues in Canadian Nursing. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1995.
Canadian regulatory and legal problems are dealt with very thoroughly with ethical issues discussed in this context.
Kluge, Eike Henner W. ed. Readings in Biomedical Ethics: A Canadian Focus, 3rd ed. Toronto: Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2005.
An anthology of major essays addressing topics in bioethics. Many of the essays are written by Canadian authors and concern problems of special interest to Canadians.
Kolata, Gina. Clone: The Road to Dolly and the Path Ahead. New York: William Morrow, 1998.
A reporter has here investigated and detailed the history and political context of cloning.
Korsgaard, Christine. Creating the Kingdom of Ends. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
A defence of Kant’s ethics by an influential contemporary Kantian.
Kuhse, Helga and Peter Singer. Bioethics: An Anthology. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1999.
Another excellent anthology of major essays addressing topics in bioethics.
Kuhse, Helga. Caring: Nurses, Women and Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell, 1997.
Kuhse presents a somewhat more sympathetic account of Care Ethics than does Rachels, but she thinks that justice as well as care are essential in ethics. She is wary, as well, of Nurses being silenced by care—unable to express their ethical views in a way that is accessible to ethics committees.
Kymlicka, Will. Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction, 2nd ed. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
A first-rate introduction to the major debates in contemporary political philosophy. Kymlicka is an important Canadian philosopher, and the book takes on a number of issues of particular importance to Canadians, e.g., economic justice, multiculturalism, and arguments for political separation.
Lavender, T., G. J. Hofmeyr, J. P. Neilson, C. Kingdon, and G. M. L. Gyte. “Caesarean Section for Non-medical Reasons at Term,” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, issue 3, art. no. CD004660, doi, 10.1002/14651858.CD004660.pub2: p.1.
Lyons, David. Forms and Limits of Utilitarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1965.
Mackie, J. L. Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong. London: Penguin Books, 1989.
An important work in metaethics in which Mackie defends a subjectivist ethical view. Chapter 1 of the book has received the most attention.
Marquis, Don. “Why Abortion is Immoral?” Journal of Philosophy, 86, no. 4, 1989: pp. 183-202.
One of the most influential philosophical articles against abortion.
McDonald, Julie. Ed. Contemporary Moral Issues in a Diverse Society. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1998.
Have a look at the chapters on abortion, euthanasia, and new reproductive technology to get views from feminists, the handicapped, and other voices sometimes not heard in traditional ethics.
McDowell, John. “Values and Secondary Qualities”, in Morality and Objectivity, Ted Honderich, ed. Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1985.
This work helped to shape Patrick’s account of moral properties as analogous to colour properties.
Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty. Chicago: Henry Regnery Co., 1955. First published 1859.
This is the classic defence of the liberal principle that we are only justified in restricting individual autonomy to prevent harm to others. This is often referred to as the harm principle.
Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. 1861. Ed. George Sher. Indianapolis: Hacket Publishing, 1979.
A clear and classic statement of what Utilitarianism is. Mill also defends a unique version of hedonism in this famous small book.
Noddings, N. Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
One of the most famous defenses of care ethics.
Noonan, John T. Jr., ed. The Morality of Abortion: Legal and Historical Perspectives. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1970.
This book includes Noonan’s often discussed essay against the morality of abortion.
Nowell-Smith, Patrick. “The Right to Die”, in Contemporary Moral Issues, 3rd ed., Wesley Cragg, ed. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1992.
Nozick, Robert. Anarchy, State, and Utopia. New York: Basic Books, 1974.
Winner of the 1975 National Book Award and a modern classic defense of Libertarianism. In the course of arguing for his own view, Nozick offers insightful criticisms of utilitarianism and Rawls’ theory of justice.
O'Hanlon, Martin. "Boy's court battle ends as his cancer spreads." The Vancouver Sun. Monday, March 22, 1999. A3.
This is a description of the Tyrell Dueck case. The case pushed us to think about the limits of autonomy in choices of alternative medical treatments. A boy and his family refused standard cancer treatment on religious grounds. Search for Tyrell Dueck on the Internet to find a number of descriptions of this famous Canadian case testing the limits of patient autonomy.
Okin, Susan Moller. Justice, Gender and the Family. New York: Basic Books, 1991.
An excellent feminist application of Rawls’ theory of justice.
Pabst Battin, Margaret. The Least Worst Death: Essays in Bioethics on the End of Life, Oxford University Press, 1994.
Her chapter on the arguments for and against legalizing voluntary active euthanasia is very highly recommended.
Paton, H. J. The Categorical Imperative: A Study in Kant’s Moral Philosophy. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1948.
A classic, very clear commentary on, and analysis of, Kant’s moral philosophy.
Pence, Gregory E. Classic Cases in Medical Ethics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.
This gives philosophical, legal and historical background to such seminal cases as the Karen Quinlan case.
Rachels, James. “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, in New England Journal of Medicine, 9, Jan. 1975.
A classic defense of euthanasia.
Rachels, James. “Euthanasia”, in Matters of Life and Death, Tom Regan, ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 1993.
A very good introduction to the arguments for and against the morality of euthanasia.
Rachels, James. The Elements of Moral Philosophy. 6th. ed. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
This is an excellent and widely read introduction to moral theory.
Rachels, James. The End of Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.
An excellent overview of the arguments concerning the morality of euthanasia, and a clear defense of the moral permissibility of voluntary and non-voluntary active euthanasia. Rachels also argues that voluntary active euthanasia should be legal.
Rawls, John. A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1971.
A contemporary defense of social contract theory. This is a modern classic: perhaps the most important and influential work in political philosophy published in the last century.
Rawls, John. Political Liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.
Rawls here clarifies the theory set out in A Theory of Justice and replies to his critics.
Ross, W.D. The Right and The Good. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1930. Reprinted in 2002 by Oxford University Press.
This is the seminal source of intuitionist rights theory.
Sayre-McCord, Geoff. “Metaethics”, in the Stanford Enyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/metaethics/
Sayre-McCord, Geoffrey. Essays on Moral Realism. Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1988.
A very good collection of essays on a range of metaethical topics. The introduction to his text is highly recommended for those interested in exploring the field of metaethics.
Sherwin, Susan. No Longer Patient: Feminist Ethics and Health Care. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992.
A prominent Canadian philosopher – highly recommended.
Silver, Lee M. Remaking Eden: Cloning and Beyond in a Brave New World. New York: Avon Books, 1997.
Chilling predictions from a Princeton Biologist are interspersed with moral arguments in favour of pushing ahead with genetic research.
Singer, Peter, ed. A Companion to Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell 1993.
This is a very useful collection of papers covering the theoretical background to our topics. It also takes a cross-cultural look at ethics.
Singer, Peter. Practical Ethics, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
In this clearly written and widely read book, Singer addresses the topics of abortion, infanticide and euthanasia (among others) from a utilitarian perspective.
Sinnot-Armstrong, Walter. “You Can’t Lose What you Ain’t Never Had”, Philosophical Studies, 96, no. 1, 1999: pp. 59-72.
The basis of Doran’s objection to Don Marquis’ argument against abortion.
Smart, J.J.C. “An Outline of a System of Utilitarian Ethics”, in Utilitarianism for and Against, J.J.C. Smart and Bernard Williams. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1973.
A classic defense of utilitarianism, followed by an even more famous attack on utilitarianism. Williams’ critique is most known for raising the integrity objection to utilitarianism.
Storch, Janet L., Patricia Rodney and Rosalie Starzomski. Toward a Moral Horizon: Nursing Ethics for Leadership and Practice . Toronto: Pearson, Prentice Hall, 2004.