the Moral of Story

Aims to shed light on the perennial questions of ethics. This work demonstrates how literary sources can add richness to discussions of real-life moral questions and dilemmas. It brings together selections and excerpts from some of the world's most celebrated short stories, novels, plays, and poetry. In a society increasingly divided about moral values, we need to reflect on the ethics we hold. What do we owe to our children…to our elderly parents…to strangers? Is it always wrong to lie? With whom may we have sex, and who should we marry? Is a leader who takes his country to war responsible for the foreseeable deaths of civilians? Should we create new forms of life? Should we value beauty, even above human suffering? Does morality hold even in the death camps? Are morals relative? Great writers have long wrestled with these questions, often adding depth and a more human dimension than we get from the abstract reasoning of philosophers. In The Moral of the Story, Peter and Renata Singer bring together an engrossing collection of fiction, drama, and poetry that stimulates the reader to think about the perennial questions of ethics. Whether you read this book from cover to cover, or dip in to whatever selections pique your curiosity, you will find yourself absorbed in the stories and situations, and provoked to think again about your own values, as well as about today’s controversial moral issues. In The Moral of the Story, Peter and Renata Singer draw on some of the best works of fiction, playwriting, and poetry in order to shed light on the perennial questions of ethics. A vivid montage of literature that touches on a broad range of ethical subjects and themes Offers a unique contribution to the study of moral philosophy and literature Demonstrates how literary sources can add richness to discussions of real-life moral questions and dilemmas Brings together selections and excerpts from the world’s most celebrated short stories, novels, plays, and poetry Features substantive section introductions by Peter and Renata Singer Peter Singer is a leading moral philosopher, widely credited with triggering the modern animal-rights movement. His collection of essays, Unsanctifying Human Life, edited by Helga Kuhse, was published by Blackwell Publishing in 2001.