Includes bibliographical references (pages 81-83).

1. Getting started. Who needs ethics? ; Some counterfeits -- 2. Thinking for yourself. Appeals to authority ; Thinking for yourself: a biblical model ; The question of rules -- 3. Finding the best problem. False dilemmas ; How to expand your options ; How to reframe problems -- 4. When values conflict. Polarizing values ; Can both sides be right? ; Integrating values -- 5. Ethics with a heart. When the heart closes ; How the heart opens ; The expanding circle -- A word to students: How to write an ethics paper.

A Practical Companion to Ethics is an accessibly written, concise introduction to the basic attitudes and skills that make ethics work, like thinking for oneself, creative and integrative problem solving, and keeping an open mind. This unique volume illuminates the broad kinds of practical intelligence required in moral judgment, complementing the narrower theoretical considerations that often dominate ethics courses. It offers practical instruction in problem solving by demonstrating how to frame an ethical problem and deal effectively with ethical disagreements. This book also addresses issues of the heart - the call to responsiveness and care that underlies formal ethical theories. Appendixes offer students advice about writing papers and offer instructors a range of creative and participatory ways to teach ethics. The optimistic tone and brisk pace of the narrative provide an entertaining and intelligent guide to "everyday" morality.

A Practical Companion to Ethics is ideal for courses in introductory ethics, with applications in any course related to critical thinking and ethical problem solving.