The way that ethics is taught, especially in introductory courses and in courses in applied ethics, is a matter of serious concern. In these courses, it is standard practice to present moral theories such as those in Mill’s Utilitarianism and Kant’s Groundwork or some textbook variation of these as if they were adequate. Although all philosophers recognize that all of the standard theories, including those by Kant and Mill, are inadequate, they still often put them forward as if students should choose between them. Even worse, students are sometimes told that they should choose the theory that seems to work best for the particular problem with which they are concerned. This results in students being Kantians or Utilitarians depending on the problem they are considering, which is a trivialization not only of these theories but of moral theories in general.
(Bernard Gert, Common Morality: Deciding What to Do [New York: Oxford University Press, 2004], vii)
Note from KBJ: I present 13 normative ethical theories in my Ethics courses. It's not my job to tell students which theory (if any) is correct. In fact, it doesn't make sense to me to say that a normative ethical theory is correct (or true). A normative ethical theory has two functions: (1) to systematize one's beliefs; and (2) to guide one's behavior. My job is to ensure that my students understand each theory. What they do with the theories, if anything, is their business.
