Buddhist Ethics

Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction brings together two largely independent fields of knowledge: Buddhism and ethics. It begins by explaining Buddhist ethical teachings and then asking how these teachings might be classified in terms of more familiar Western theories of ethics. Following this overview, the remainder of the book considers how Buddhism might respond to six specific issues of contemporary concern that have proved controversial in the West.

A separate chapter is devoted to each of the following topics: animals and the environment; sexuality and gender; war, violence, and terrorism; abortion; suicide and euthanasia; and biomedical technologies and Transhumanism. While Buddhism shares many moral values with other religions like Christianity, some aspects of its moral teachings—like karma and rebirth—are less familiar and result in positions that are more nuanced than might at first be imagined.

The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.