Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Bhikhu Parekh, Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory Bhikhu Parekh, The Future of Multi‐Ethnic Britain: Report of the Commission on the Future of Multi‐Ethnic Britain Gordon Graham, The Internet://A Philosophical Inquiry Stephen R. L. Clark, Biology and Christian Ethics Daniel A. Dombrowski, Not Even A Sparrow Falls: The Philosophy of Stephen R. L. Clark Shelly Kagan, Normative Ethics Hugh Lacey, Is Science Value Free? M. W. F. Stone and Jonathan Wolff (eds.), The Proper Ambition of Science Eileen Scanlon, Roger Hill and Kirk Junker (eds.), Communicating Science: Professional Contexts Eileen Scanlon, Elizabeth Whitelegg and Simeon Yates, Communicating Science: Contexts and Channels      

Mattel,Lead Paint,and Magnets: Ethics and Supply Chain Management

Over a period of 19 months in 2006 and 2007, Mattel recalled approximately 14 million toys. The company was subjected to numerous lawsuits and regulatory actions and suffered severe damage to its reputation. Two issues were involved: excessive levels of lead in numerous toy surface paints and small detachable magnets in some toys, which could be swallowed. An examination of the facts shows that two different ethical situations were involved—one concerning product design and the other concerning manufacturing practices of Mattel's Chinese contractors and subcontractors. The ethical obligations of the company and individuals within the company in the two situations were quite different, and illustrate problems faced by companies in managing their global supply chains.     

Religious Ethics, History, and the Rise of Modern Moral Philosophy: Focus Introduction

In this introduction to a cluster of three articles on eighteenth-century ethics written by Mark Larrimore, John Bowlin, and Mark Cladis, the author maintains that although the broad narrative tracing the emergence of a religiously neutral or naturalistic moral language in the eighteenth century is a familiar one, many central questions concerning this development remain unanswered and require further historical study. Against those who contend that historical study is antecedent to, but not part of, the proper substance of religious ethics, the author argues that historical and normative studies are interdependent, each helping to define the questions central to the other. The introduction concludes with an overview of the three articles and suggests ways in which religious ethicists can, in the future, make a distinctive contribution to the history of ethics.