A Decent Life: Morality for the Rest of Us

In lively prose, May (A Fragile Life), professor of humanities at Clemson University, breaks down complex philosophical concepts and uses a range of everyday examples to illustrate how morality can be practical. In his open-ended discussions of topics such as how to handle relationship breakups, what to do about panhandlers, one’s relationship to climate change, and responsibilities to nonhuman animals, May provides sensible, logical arguments about how the average person might understand the morally “decent” way through a dilemma. His framework for ethical decision-making takes into account consequentialism (the ends justifies the means), deontology (intention determines morality), and virtue ethics (morality is determined by one’s virtues, not individual acts), and he walks readers through the finer points of each. Philosophers such as Aristotle, Stephen Gardiner, Emmanuel Kant, and Peter Singer make appearances as May grounds his arguments in both classic and contemporary philosophical theory. May has a knack for presenting philosophical concepts in ways that are easily graspable, and his advice for living “a life with a goal more modest than altruism, but better than moral mediocrity” makes such a goal seem attainable for a wide audience. Anyone interested in living a more morally conscious life will want to give this wise guide a look. [em](Apr.) [/em]