American Ethics: A Source Book From Edwards to Dewey presents a rich collection of 70 source readings in American Ethics from the early Puritans and their foremost spokesman Jonathan Edwards to the mid-twentieth century, the time of John Dewey’s pragmatism and naturalism. Ethics has both a theoretical and practical interest, relating it directly to politics, religion, economics, science, and in fact all aspects of culture or social life. American Ethics has a whole series of serious problems and controversies included in its six chapters. These extensive problems are presented concretely in the voices of those directly involved, from the liberty of conscience, predestination, witchcraft among the Puritans, slavery, natural rights, constitutional government during the time of Jefferson and the Enlightenment, civil disobedience, abolition, rights of women, the plight of American Indians during the time of Emerson and Transcendentalism, the controversy over evolution, war, the pragmatic character of America during the time of Peirce, James, Dewey and Pragmatism, race questions, prejudice, loyalty, women’s role in culture during the time of Royce and Idealism, creative democracy, the genteel tradition, the naturalistic fallacy during the time of Santayana, Dewey, and Naturalism in the twentieth century. Each chapter includes a lead-in to help the reader locate important points in the reading. At the end of each chapter, questions for discussion are included along with a guide to further reading. At the end of the book, a glossary of important terms is included for easy reference. American Ethics portrays the first 300 years of ethics in America, all the way from 1644 when Roger Williams wrote about freedom of conscience down to 1956 when Sidney Hook attempted to defend his own and Dewey’s ideas of a humanistic, naturalistic orientation for ethics. This is an excellent book for college students taking courses in American Philosophy, American Ethics, and American Studies. It also makes an info
