Wesley Cragg,
York University Christine Koggel,
Bryn Mawr College
ISBN: 0070930104 Copyright year: 2005
Book Preface
The first edition of Contemporary Moral Issues was published in 1983. The anthology is now in its fifth edition and both the selection of topics and the range of perspectives on the issues have shifted with each new edition. This edition takes up the increasing impact of globalization on Canada and the world. Globalization has opened the doors to increased international trade and economic interdependence, but it has also increased worries over growing disparities in wealth and economic opportunities. Increased immigration and the proliferation of global media networks, email, and the worldwide web have brought Canadians face to face with moral beliefs and practices very different from those that shaped the judgments of their parents as little as a decade or two ago. Globalization has also opened the doors to new forms of terrorism and international conflict. Renewed examples of genocide, civil war, suicide bombing, global terrorist networks, 9/11, and military responses in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, and Iraq have changed the world in ways that could not have been imagined a decade ago.
These developments are reflected in this edition in a number of ways. Most notably, we have added two chapters, “Business Ethics and Social Responsibility” and “War, Terrorism and the War Against Terrorism”, and have updated the chapter on “Poverty”.
Features of globalization in the areas of an explosion of technological developments and vastly improved communications have also reshaped debates on many topics, two of which have been in Contemporary Moral Issues since the first edition. The chapter on abortion has been renamed “Abortion and Reproductive Technologies” to reflect important new debates introduced by technological advances such as cloning and stem cell research. These technologies introduce complex moral issues with which Canadians need to grapple as we attempt to formulate policies to regulate their use. The chapter on pornography now includes a discussion of the widespread availability of pornography on the Internet and of its relevance to issues of censorship.
The past two decades have seen an exponential growth in the literature on applied ethics. Many of these recent contributions challenge traditional accounts of morality and have implications for the way in which specific moral issues are discussed. Environmental and business ethicists are challenging traditional views of nature and management. Feminist, race, and disability theorists are exploring the ways in which current structures and beliefs have a detrimental impact on the lives of members of traditionally disadvantaged groups. Significant contributions by these theorists are reflected in the reworked chapter “Equality and Discrimination” that replaces the two chapters on affirmative action and discrimination and have been added to other chapters as well. While the law with respect to euthanasia has not changed, discussion of it has as disability theorists raise questions about the implications of legalizing euthanasia for perceptions of disabled persons. In the case of poverty, recent studies by the economist and philosopher Amartya Sen and by feminist theorists highlight the importance of understanding gender and racial dimensions of poverty both within and across borders, themes that also emerge in the discussion of environmental and business ethics, aboriginal rights, and the war against terrorism.
In some cases, the landscape with respect to specific moral issues has not changed, yet discussion of these issues continues to be important. The chapters on capital punishment and aboriginal rights are examples. In spite of the fact that the last execution in Canada took place almost forty years ago, capital punishment is an issue that will not die in part because questions about the effectiveness of capital punishment as a deterrent, the impact of racism on the imposition of the death penalty, and execution as the just retributive response to murder continue to be hotly debated in the American media with its large Canadian audiences. Meanwhile, debates over the extradition of American fugitives from justice, apprehended by Canadian law enforcement officers, and subject to execution by American courts should they be found guilty, have ensured that the moral and constitutional dimensions of capital punishment are not ignored by Canadian courts and the Canadian Government.
While there have been significant changes in the legal status of aboriginal peoples resulting from the Constitution Act of 1982 and subsequent judicial interpretation of its provisions, progress on aboriginal rights seems to be stalled in Canada. The material position of First Nation People has not changed substantially since 1983 and few significant land claim settlements have occurred. As a result, self-government and land rights continue to play a central role in discussions of aboriginal rights.
The fourth edition introduced a new chapter entitled “Tools and Theories”. This addition represented a decision to deal more directly with moral theory and its role in the resolution of moral issues. The chapter was designed to provide needed background in understanding those authors included in the anthology who appeal directly to moral theories in developing their positions. It was also intended to provide support for those instructors for whom an introduction to moral theory is a standard feature of their approach to applied ethics. As in the previous edition, the chapter dealing with theory is placed at the end of the book and this differentiates it from many other moral issues collections. We retain this structure in the fifth edition because we question a number of assumptions about the relation between theory and practice in the analysis of moral problems or issues. Is theory and developing an understanding of its role and importance in addressing practical ethical concerns something that precedes or emerges from ethical deliberation and reflection? Is it really the case that the philosophical examination of practical concerns that have a significant moral dimension typically involve the application of moral theories for the purpose of resolving issues or arriving at sound or morally justifiable conclusions or decisions or actions? This volume does not attempt to address these issues systematically. It is built on an underlying pedagogical principle, namely that students are unlikely to understand the practical relevance of moral theorizing unless they first grapple with moral problems, issues, and concerns and understand for themselves the need for the tools, skills, and theories that philosophers have constructed in struggling with those same ethical problems, issues, and concerns.
Three features of Contemporary Moral Issues have not changed. First, there is the resolve to put the discussion of the issues addressed in a contemporary context. Second, there is the commitment on the part of the editors and publisher to producing a collection that reflects contemporary Canadian perspectives on a wide range of moral issues, perspectives that include contributions not only from the discipline of philosophy, but also from other areas such as law, sociology, history, and politics. A cursory examination of the preceding editions is persuasive evidence of the need, therefore, to update the collection on a regular and systematic basis.
Finally, as with past editions, articles have been selected for one of three reasons. They locate the issue(s) under discussion in an historical or contemporary context and therefore contribute important contextual material. They set out as clearly and sympathetically as possible the kinds of considerations, arguments, and justifications that are having a significant impact on current discussion of the issue(s) in question. Finally, they present an intelligent, relatively accessible philosophical discussion of the issue(s) at hand.
Not all these factors apply to each reading. Hence some of the readings will be seen as inadequate from one or more of a variety of perspectives. The fact that the readings are not all perfect from a philosophical point of view is in our view a virtue and not a defect for the following reasons. Actual debates have flaws. It is important to provide examples of positions that resemble what students will actually encounter as they read newspapers or listen to the TV or surf the Internet. Students are then challenged to critically evaluate what they are reading, to find the flaws, and to try to fix them or sort through the implications of their analysis for taking a position. Including material drawn from a wide range of sources also ensures that instructors have examples of reasoning and argument viewed as persuasive by participants in ongoing debates that can be subjected to scrutiny and critical examination. Careful use of this opportunity can then be used to demonstrate the value of careful philosophical examination and analysis.
After all is said and done, the purpose of Contemporary Moral Issues remains unchanged. Its goal has been to provide a reasonably priced, balanced introduction to the issues that are currently attracting the interest and concern of thoughtful observers of the Canadian scene. We believe that each new edition adds strengths to a longstanding and successful publication. We hope our colleagues and readers will find the results of our work to be useful both as an introduction and as a pedagogical tool.
There are people whose advice, work, and support were invaluable throughout the process of preparing this edition. Our research assistant, Rossella Polera, showed great competence and conscientiousness in finding materials, dealing with permissions, and putting the manuscript together after various revisions. We would also like to thank Sponsoring Editor Leanna MacLean and Developmental Editor Darren Hick, who worked with us from the beginning and attended to the details throughout. Darren’s work in soliciting and summarizing reviewer feedback and in consulting with us about them was vital to producing what we believe is an excellent new edition. The reviewer comments themselves were extremely useful during the process of making revisions, selecting new material, creating new chapters, thinking through the structure of each chapter, and putting the book together as a whole. Our thanks go to the very conscientious reviewers, who took the time to make thoughtful and extensive comments. They include: Hilliard Aronovich, University of Ottawa; Jonathan Breslin, McMaster University; Rachel Brown, McGill University; Brian Cupples, University of New Brunswick; Evlyn Fortier, Carleton University; Colin Macleod, University of Victoria; Marilyn Quinn, Niagara College; Peter Trnka, Memorial University; Bob Ware, University of Calgary; Jennifer Welchman, University of Alberta; and Karen Wendling, University of Guelph. Our thanks also go to Kelly Dickson, Margaret Henderson, and Jim Zimmerman, the editors responsible for taking our book through production. Finally, we could not have completed the work without the support of our respective spouses: Mary Cragg, who opened her home to piles of paper and accommodated our sometimes impossible schedules, and Andrew Brook, who was always there to listen and provide valuable insights into the issues and the book as a whole and to whom we dedicate this edition.
Wesley Cragg
Christine M. Koggel
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2005 McGraw-Hill Higher Education