referencebooks (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} referencebooks) wrote,@ 2005-09-15 11:05:00 |
|
| Entry tags: | ethics, philosophy |
Encyclopedia of Ethics
Encyclopedia of Ethics, Second Edition
Lawrence C. Becker and Charlotte B. Becker, editors.
Published by Routledge, 2001.
This is a big three volume work measuring 9" by 11" and running to a total of 1977 pages including the indexes, plus 35 pages of preferatory materials, which include an introduction, notes on use, a list of entries, and a list of contributors.
This is the definitive reference work on ethical theory as written about by English speaking philosophers. It's not about practical ethics or professional ethics but ethical theory as a branch of philosophy that answers questions about how we know right from wrong and how one should best live (in a moral or non-moral sense). While the focus is ethical theory, it does also have articles on metaethics, applied ethics, and ethical issues that are important to ethical theory, as well as biographical entries. Ethical theory, also, is considered fairly broadly, at least within the limitations of the Anglo-American philosophic tradition; the work includes some articles about approaches to ethics in other parts of the world; religious ethics; the relation of ethical theory to technology, religion, law, literature, and social, political and economic systems and theories; and the relation of philosophical ethics to other branches of philosophy. The audience for the Encyclopedia are scholars, university students and readers with a serious interest in philosophy.
For an example of what's covered, the first fifteen entries in the "D" sequence are:
- Darwin, Charles
- de Beauvoir, Simone
- De Stael, Madame: See Stael, Madame de
- death
- deceit
- definition: See persuasive definition
- deliberation and choice
- democracy
- Democritus
- deontology
- Descartes, René
- desert: See merit and desert
- desire
- determinism: See freedom and determinism
- deterrence, threats and retaliation
The longest of the articles listed here is the one on deontology, running almost six pages.
Each entry talks about the philosophical issues involved in the subject discussed, referring to the history of philosophical discussion throughout. The articles tend to reflect the points of view of their authors to a noticeable extent. Each entry finishes with a full complement of "See also" references and then a generous bibliography.
The Subject and Citation indexes in the last volume are very thorough, together spanning 144 pages.
This is an excellent resource with one major limitation: it pretty much confines its scope to the Anglo-American philosophic tradition, which not only represents certain writing conventions but certain approaches to thinking about philosophy as well. Points of view on ethical theory from Continental perspectives, not to mention non-European traditions, are mostly absent (with such expected exceptions as a long article on existential ethics and entries on major European philosophers). A major encyclopedia of ethics that draws contributions from beyond such a limited geographical and linguistic tradition would be very welcome.
