Understanding Ethics

Torbjörn Tännsjö is Kristian Claëson Emeritus Professor of Practical Philosophy at Stockholm University. He is the author of several books including Hedonistic Utilitarianism (EUP, 1998), Taking Life. Three Theories on the Ethics of Killing (OUP, 2015), Setting Health-Care Priorities (OUP, 2019) , and From Despotism to Democracy (Springer, 2023).

• Preface1. Practical Problems and Normative Ethics2. Utilitarianism3. Egoism and Contractualism4. Deontology5. Absolute Moral Rights6. Virtue Ethics7. Deep Ecology8. What Are We to Believe?IndexReferences

Tännsjö writes from a definite position and never hides it — yet he argues for its rivals as if each might turn out to be right. The arguments here run all the way into population ethics, distribution, and the survival of humankind. A reader trying to work out what she actually believes could hardly ask for a better guide.