How to be Good

An entertaining yet substantial guide to being good in the 21st century including a whistle-stop tour of contemporary ethical debates and practical pointers on how to be a good person.

What is goodness? Is goodness achievable, and if so, how? If being a good person is a matter of doing the right thing, then what is the right thing to do? Is it acting rationally, promoting happiness, exercising moderation in all things or respecting the freedom of others, or is it somehow a concoction of all these abilities, wisely adjusted to suit circumstances? In this instructive, entertaining and often humorous book, Gary Cox, best-selling author of How to Be an Existentialist and How to Be a Philosopher, investigates the phenomenon of goodness and what, if anything, it is to be a good person and a paragon of virtue. Part easygoing exploration of the age-old subject of moral philosophy, part personal development and improvement manual, How to Be Good carefully leads you on a fascinating journey through the often strange and surprising world of ethics, with ideas from Aristotle, Kant, Nietzsche and a host of other moral philosophers.