This collection of essays aims to present the central ideas in the moral theory of major thinkers in the western tradition from Plato to Rawls. The contributors address the ethical theory of each philosopher and attempt to characterize the body of his thought in an historical context against the cultural, intellectual and personal conditions of its time.;James Gouinlock is the author of "John Dewey's Philosophy of Value" and "Excellence in Public Discourse". James Sterba has written several books including "Morality in Practice The Ethics of War and Nuclear Deterrence" and "How to Make People Just".