Contemporary Moral and Social Issues makes innovative use of short fictiontogether with primary readings and editorial commentaryas a means of engaging students to think philosophically about ethical issues, better enabling instructors to initiate meaningful discussion. The text presents a combination of ethical theory and practical ethical problems brought to life by a range of pointed, pertinent stories. These stories are entertaining and readable in themselves, and provide a valuable springboard for philosophical discussion. Each chapter combines original fiction, editorial discussion, and in-depth readings, to explore a range of moral issues. Chapters delve into topics related to value theory, moral theory, and applied moral issues in politics, world poverty, abortion, animal welfare, the environment, and genetic engineering. The text uniquely combines the overall guidance of a single-author discussion with the breadth of a reader, while engaging students with entertaining original fiction stories to illustrate each issue.