Ethics in Action

In the United States it is common and easy for a politician to say something like, 'There is a moral imperative to ensure that quality affordable health care is available to all Americans'. But most such speakers never tell us what the content of such a moral standard is, and if it is applicable to all societies. This book is an attempt to fill this gap. Part One draws on recent findings in the cognitive sciences and in evolutionary psychology to identify ethical principles that are likely to help us humans to succeed biologically as individuals, and, also, as cooperative groups. Part Two applies those principles to two practical problems of special relevance to China: moral complexities in choices about global warming, and the absence of consistency in the Chinese legal system. The book ends with two interviews with Munro.