ABSTRACT
A theory of ethics has several roles. It may be expected to elicit the principles implicit in the more pervasive judgements of value and of obligation. The theory should explain the rationale of such judgements; and it may also be expected to serve as a basis by which judgements can be appraised. At the same time the theory must be capable of accounting for the phenomena of morality, including the fact of moral diversity. It should be capable of application to practical problems. This book is concerned largely with substantive ethical issues and with crucial concepts such as that of morality itself. Its starting-point consists in the persistent and reflective ethical judgements of most people in most places, though considerations of consistency, explanatory adequacy, and the need for a normative theory of critical potential generate in due course a theory capable of criticising many actual judgements.
