You're no idiot, of course. But at a time when immorality, corruption, and greed seem to be not only condoned but encouraged, it's increasingly difficult to follow your own moral compass. In a world that stresses the material over the spiritual and appearance over substance, we all yearn for guidance. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Ethics" is a comprehensive reference to the questions of right and wrong. This book will help you define your own philosophy and make sense of the dilemmas that confront you every day. In this "Complete Idiot's Guide", you get: gender ethics, racial ethics (tolerance), and applications for ethical behavior in the workplace and at home; explorations of real-world aspects of applied ethics and behavior, including the theories and doctrines of the ancient Greeks; recipes for making an ethical life from ingredients like the wisdom of philosophy, science, and religion.

Part 1: Doing ethics right and doing the right ethics. So, what's your philosophy of life? -- The inevitability of ethical dilemmas -- Convince me that I'm wrong -- God made me do it -- Let science be your guide / Part 2: What does it all mean? The nature of ethics. "Me first" ethics -- "Us first" ethics -- Cynical about ethics? / Part 3: General recipes for guiding ethical decision-making. Ancient Greek virtue ethics -- Middle age virtues -- Modern social contract theory -- We can't forget Kant -- Consequentialist theories -- Using the "F" word: feminist ethics -- There's a fly in my recipe -- Mixing recipes / Part 4: Applied Ethics. Environmental ethics -- Biomedical ethics -- Business ethics -- Ethics and animals / Part 5: Beyond the personal: the ethics of social justice. We're talking social justice! -- The immigration controversy -- Economic justice -- Political justice -- Gender justice -- Affirmative action and multiculturalism -- Getting our just des(s)erts / Appendixes A: Glossary -- B: For future reference.