Simon Blackburn, a professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge, is one of the giants of contemporary moral theory and a trustworthy guide through its labyrinth. He prefers parsimony to complexity--helpful for readers with only a casual acquaintance with philosophy--and yet he manages to avoid trivialising his subject matter. Moreover, Being Good is wonderfully enlivened by illustrations by Paul Klee, William Blake, Eugene Delacroix, Francisco de Goya, and even Vietnam war photography and cartoons. Blackburn concludes on a promising note: "If we are careful, and mature, and imaginative, and fair, and nice, and lucky, the moral mirror in which we gaze at ourselves may not show us saints. But it need not show us monsters, either." --Eric de Place

I found the subject matter covered in 'Being Good' to be more practical than in 'Think', Blackburn's excellent introduction to Philosophy. Everyday ethical issues such as tolerance, faith, elitism, abortion and euthanasia demand more attention than questions on, say, the existence of gods or the nature of the self.

Blackburn writes with astonishing balance, subtlety and poise. He draws together, in a coherent, distilled structure, a variety of treatments and viewpoints: he necessarily sketches a wide overview, yet he also manages to include rigorous detail and historical context by quoting directly from sources. At times, he adds modern context by venturing his own original views, but always in a way that gives the reader space to draw her own conclusions. Rarely does an accomplished academic have such an ability to teach and popularize his subject.

The power of the book lies in its brevity. Frequent review of the main arguments results in the gaining of a set of invaluable contemporary thinking tools. So the next time someone says to me: 'That's just your opinion', I'll have a fully developed line of argument against that pernicious conversation stopper, 'relativism'. And for busy people who don't have time to plough through all the literature, 'Being Good' could be the only ethical guidebook they ever need.


A readable introduction to Ethics   November 21, 2001
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Blackburn has managed to create an intelligent introduction to the main questions without forgetting that his core readers are beginners.


Mostly Excellent   September 27, 2001
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Blackburn manages to cover a lot of a ground in a short time, and is scholarly without being heavy. However, this book is often unevenly-paced, and leaves some important questions unanswered. I got most satisfaction from this book by reading it once, putting it aside for a while and then returning to it later.


Muddled and hard to read and understand   July 9, 2001
 4 out of 19 found this review helpful

This book tries to find a philosophical rationale for ethics - and fails. The book is surprisingly boring for a small book, and I found it confusing and badly organised. I had no idea where the book was going and how the various chapters were meant to link together. I admit that I know very little about philosophy before I started to read this book. Unfortunately, I still know very little about it having read this book. The author's views come across very clearly - which is OK if you agree with them - and a pain if you don't. 'Think' us a much better book.


An elegantly written short introduction to ethics.   April 14, 2001
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

This is a concise, elegant little book written in a fluent, almost conversational style. It is also a scholarly book: the author wears his learning lightly.

The book contains 12 unusual and apposite illustrations, and contains as Appendix the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights. Part I of this short book is called Seven Threats to Ethics, Part II is called Some Ethical Ideas, Part III is called Foundations.

I enjoyed this book. The book is written concisely, and the author makes his points clearly and vividly. His remarks on the meaning of life (p.80) I found life-enhancing.

The book covers a lot of ground in a short space, and I am tempted to make comparisons with Principia Ethica by G E Moore, Ethics by Nowell-Smith, and the section on Ethics in Language, Truth & Logic by A J Ayer. Simon Blackburn's book compares very well with these three classics. His book is far more readable and contains a number of astute observations. The overall tone of the book is sane and cautiously up-beat.

Strongly recommended !