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The Ethics of Killing

Life, Death and Human Nature

  • Book
  • © 2022

Overview

Authors:
  1. Christian Erk

    1. University of St.Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

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  • Takes a comprehensive approach to killing in various contexts

  • Distinguishes between different types of killing

  • Explains under what conditions killings is ethically permissible​

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
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  2. I: Prelude: Setting the Stage

    • Christian Erk
    Pages 1-12

  3. II: The Ontology of Human Actions

    • Christian Erk
    Pages 13-38

  4. III: The General Ethics of Human Actions

    • Christian Erk
    Pages 39-82

  5. IV: Interlude I: Life and Death

    • Christian Erk
    Pages 83-113

  6. V: Interlude II: Moral Status, Personhood and Dignity

    • Christian Erk
    Pages 115-154

  7. VI: The General Ethics of Killing Human Beings

    • Christian Erk
    Pages 155-168

  8. VII: The Special Ethics of Killing Human Beings

    • Christian Erk
    Pages 169-244

  9. VIII: Postlude: Specific Questions at the Margins of Human Life

    • Christian Erk
    Pages 245-304

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 305-335
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Keywords

About this book

In this book, Christian Erk examines the ethical (im)permissibility of killing human  beings in general and of selected killings in particular, namely suicide, lethal selfdefence, abortion and euthanasia, as well as organ transplantation and assisted suicide. He does so by addressing a range of important ethical questions: What does it mean to act? Of what elements is an action comprised? What is the difference between a good or evil action and a permissible or impermissible action? How can we determine whether an action is good or evil? Is there a moral duty not to kill? Is this duty held by and against all human beings or only persons? What and who is a person? What is human dignity and who has it? What is it that is actually taken when somebody is killed, i.e. what is life? And closely related to that: What and when is death? By integrating the answers to these questions into an argumentative architecture, the book offers a comprehensive exploration of one of the most fundamental questions of mankind: Under which conditions, if any, is killing human beings ethically permissible?


Reviews

“The Ethics of Killing is a thoughtful, technical, and compelling argument from first principles that human life is inviolable … . Erk has sent into the arena of academic ethics a champion any brave contender will relish taking on. I do not think a better book on ethics has been written this century … its quality secures its place on reading lists of philosophy and ethics courses for many years to come.” (Toni Saad, The New Bioethics, October 25, 2023)

“The Ethics of Killing provides a profound reflection on what is wrong with intentionally killing innocent human beings, and how to understand this ethical norm’s application to a wide range of controversial cases. Christian Erk seeks and succeeds in making more consistent natural law accounts of killing.  This book deserves to be widely read by scholars as well as students concerned with practical ethics.” (Christopher Kaczor, author of Disputes in Bioethics and A Defense of Dignity)

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of St.Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Christian Erk

About the author

Christian Erk is a lecturer for ethics and management at the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Ethics of Killing

  • Book Subtitle: Life, Death and Human Nature

  • Authors: Christian Erk

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07183-6

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-07182-9Published: 02 September 2022

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-07185-0Published: 03 September 2023

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-07183-6Published: 01 September 2022

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVI, 335

  • Number of Illustrations: 22 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Ethics, Bioethics

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