Rating: 
Summary: Clear and well-written. Great for everyone.
Review: Despite his section on affirmative action-where he stretches his arguments too far- Rachels does a fantastic job of presenting the basics and essentials of ethics. I would recommend this book to students and non-students alike. This book's strongest points are that it is very clear and very well written. This doesn't mean it is for simpletons, just that it allows the reader to concentrate on the ideas presented. Also noteworthy is the "further reading" where he gives short descriptions of many of suggestions. All in all, a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Look for other Elements
Review: Having just completed another semester at UAB in which this book was mandatory for a class, I thought it might be appropriate to make a few comments concerning it. To my knowledge, James Rachels' Elements of Moral Philosophy has been a best-selling introductory textbook to moral philosophy. Formally I can see why: it is a short, succint book from a literate philosopher that covers several of the most prominent moral attitudes in contemporary philosophy. Because it is an introductory text, it rarely goes into too much detail.I say that as a general rule. It is telling, however, that some of Rachels' greatest profusion comes in Chapter Four, titled something like, "Is Morality Dependent on Religion?" In keeping with the tenor of the entire work, Rachels' answer to this is a resounding, frustrated, "No!" What does he substitute instead? "Reason!" The only problem here, Dr. Rachels (who is recently deceased, and if the UAB philosophy brass ever sees the post I will not stay on their favorite students list), is that your basis for morality is a reification (i.e., a regarding of something that is non-substantive or that is a process as an actually existing thing; to use Bahnsen's example, "the winds of change" or "the federal government")! "Reason" is an abstraction we use to refer to the process of reasoning, in which we take certain propositions and combine them with other propositions to reach conclusions (loosely put, of course). Rachels does not even mention this; and it ends up stultifying every single one of the arguments in his book. It must be noted that he cannot admit a correlation between metaphysics and reason (or logic) because then he would not be able to assure his self-projection as an autonomous and capable knower a stable throne in the realm of moral epistemology. That said, the book isn't even thoughtful. And I'm being charitable here. Rachels employs the most puerile objections and arguments imaginable (and some that defy the faculty of the imagination) in almost every chapter of his book. The popularity of this work simply confirms to me that, as Paul tells us in Romans chapter one, not only do men practice their benighted works (including intellectual works like this one), but they also "heartily approve" of those that do likewise. The two stars I gave it is common grace, pure and simple.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing book
Review: I am a college student, and this book was the required text book for the course. I am very pleased with this book. It opened my eyes to many different issues including Feminism, Homosexuality, Animal Rights and issues that I didn't have as much knowledge as I would have liked. It also introduced me to issues such as materialism, along with the dictionary, which is also very helpful. This book definitely ventures on all major sides of the issues. Rachel's never states his opinion or what he thinks is right, instead he does his best to state each side of the argument, and gives additional information about why the other side might dissagree. He also does this in a very easy to understand manner, and keeps it extremely enteresting by giving examples right from our history. This is one book I will definitely not want to sell back, and it has helped me grow as a person. I recommed this to students as well as anyone who is looking to continue their growth as a human being.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, strong case on what Morals and morality is
Review: I have read this book, Rachels gives a strong case on what he beleives to make up moral theory. Although I disagree with him on some issues, this is a good book for anyone to read if they are interested in determining morality in their lives
Rating:
Summary: Great Text
Review: I have used this book in a variety of ethics classes I have taught. I find that it is the best on the market today. Given its brevity, some may feel that it does not do justice to some subjects, however. In fact, this complaint is sometimes justified. Rachels surely does not characterize 'psychological egoism' very fairly, nor even 'emotivism.' But even so, Rachels is usually fair. Actually, he is not unfair either to more popular theories, nor even to the 'divine command theory' or even 'natural law' theory. It is good to see the latter theories, silly as they are, shown to be so. Of course, one would want to see more on all subjects, but Rachels book is an excellent place to start both for normative and meta-ethics.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to the basics
Review: I read Rachels' text for a college course. Though I was somewhat familiar with the concepts therein, I found it to be a great source for the basics of modern western philosophy. Chapters cover egoism, utilitarianism, Kant's Categorical Imperative, religious morality and other well known philosophies. An excellent first philosophy book. I find it hard to discuss certain things with people if they are not at least peripherally familiar with the concepts in this book. Highly recommended as a first text.
Rating:
Summary: Painless intro to ethical thought:
Review: I teach an ethics course that is required of Computer Science Students at an area University. One problem I have is that, before we get to dicuss social and ethical issues as they pertain to technology and society, the student have no clue about any of the basics of ethical thought. For my purposes, this book is a deity-send. It is NOT complete, but it sure does a good job giving the basics of how we structure ethical discussions and how (and in some cases why) our views of what's right and wrong have developed. My students groan the first day of class when they see they have a philosophy book at the beginning of the semester, but they quit complaining once they begin reading. Fosters lots of good discussion in my class. I would NOT recommend it to someone wanting to study moral philosophy in depth. But for a quick overview of major trends, and particularly in the case of my class where "what is ethics?" is only one part of the content we cover--very good. 5 stars because it teaches well.
Rating:
Summary: A great text for intro level ethics courses
Review: I use this book (in conjunction with _The Right Thing to Do_, edited by Rachels) as a text for an intro-level ethics course that I teach. I can't recommend it highly enough. Rachels is a sharp philosopher, as well as an interesting and lucid writer. In this book he covers all the basics (Divine Command Theory, Cultural Relativism, Subjectivism, Utilitarianism, Kant...), and does a fine job of drawing examples from applied ethics (gay rights, euthanasia, animal rights...) to illustrate the theories he discusses. This is not to suggest that you will find no fault with any of Rachels' arguments. I myself am less than satisfied with his criticisms of emotivism and Kantianism -- but all things considered, this a minor complaint. The book still deserves five stars. If you are teaching ethics at the college level and are looking for an introductory level text, suitable for students with no previous exposure to philosophy, this is the one -- I know of none better.
Rating:
Summary: Text for college course, named Contemporary Moral Problems
Review: I used this book as text for a college course at The University of Central Oklahoma. I found it an easy-read. The author is very good at taking ethical systems, and looking at them from both sides. I also believe that Mr. Rachels does quite a good job of proving that it is impossible to be completely objective. Overall, it is a great book, and I believe that anyone who is interested in Morals and Ethics will enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: An easy to read introduction to moral thought.
Review: If you're looking for an easy to read introduction to moral thought, then look no further. This book can easily be finished in just a few sittings and remains interesting and thoughtful throughout. My only dislike is the author's attempt to formulate his own 'Philosophy Without Hubris' theory, in which I find many inconsistencies. Still, this is only done in the last chapter and gives the reader a chance to perorm a critical evaluation. For those about to delve into the tumultuous world of moral thought, I highly recommend this book. However, if you're already familiar with the basics, you should probably investigate other titles.
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