Ethics Guide: Background Information

Unmatched in scholarship and scope, The International Encyclopedia of Ethics is the definitive single-source reference work on Ethics, available both in print and online. Comprises over 700 entries, ranging from 1000 to 10,000 words in length, written by an international cast of subject experts Is arranged across 9 fully cross-referenced volumes including a comprehensive index Provides clear definitions and explanations of all areas of ethics including the topics, movements, arguments, and key figures in Normative Ethics, Metaethics, and Practical Ethics Covers the major philosophical and religious traditions Offers an unprecedented level of authority, accuracy and balance with all entries being blind peer-reviewed

This is a three volume encyclopedia that is a revision of a 1992 work. Almost all the entries from the first edition were retained, but many were substantially revised and all were reviewed for needed revisions. There are 581 signed entries arranged in alphabetical order; all of the new entries were peer reviewed. Cross-references are indicated in the text by small cap typeface. This encyclopedia is intended for scholars, university students and readers with a serious interest in philosophy. The stated focus is more on ethical theory than applied ethics, but there are entries on various moral issues that have become test cases for theory. A subject index and a citation index are provided. The subject index is an analytical index of topics and persons discussed in the text of the entries. The citation index gives author-by-author listing of writers, and some editors, cited in the bibliographies of all 581 entries. Another interesting feature is a multi-authored, 12 part history of ethics from pre-Socratics through 20th century. A list of contributors and editors is provided, and it gives information on the scholarly works they’ve written and the academic institution they are associated with (if they’re still alive), along with the titles of the entries they provided. Many of the contributors are prominent scholars in the field of ethics (for example, Martha Nussbaum, Alisdair McIntyre, and James M. Gustafson are included among the contributors.) The entries tend to be several pages in length, and there are lengthy bibliographies accompanying each entry.