ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book begins by resisting claims to ethical certainty and rejecting arguments for cultural relativism. It suggests that our knowledge is always incomplete, but nonetheless affirm that we may aspire to articulate moral presumptions that are, or may become, universal standards. For example, human rights and the rule of law are affirmed worldwide as moral presumptions, and it proposes to rely on these presumptions in doing ethics. The book considers reasoning and the limitations of our knowledge. It distinguishes deductive from inductive reasoning and suggests a largely inductive approach to doing ethics, which is analogous to the scientific quest for greater knowledge and understanding. As both religious and secular teachings reflect the human quest for greater understanding and meaning, our approach to doing ethics involves thinking critically about both.
