Ethics (journal)

Ethics (journal)
Title	Ethics
Discipline	Philosophy
Language	English
Abbreviation	Ethics
Publisher	University of Chicago Press
Country	United States
History	1890–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	0014-1704

Ethics (journal) is a peer-reviewed academic periodical focusing on moral philosophy, political philosophy, and applied normative questions. Established in the late 19th century, it has published scholarship spanning analytic ethics, virtue theory, utilitarianism, deontological theory, and feminist ethics. The journal is affiliated with major American institutions and is widely cited in debates involving law, bioethics, public policy, and religious ethics.

History

Founded in 1890, the journal emerged during a period marked by debates involving figures associated with Pragmatism like William James, the institutionalization of professional philosophy at Harvard University and Columbia University, and the rise of specialized periodicals such as Mind and The Journal of Philosophy. Early editorial connections linked the journal to scholars active at Johns Hopkins University and University of Chicago, intersecting with movements around the American Philosophical Association and the expansion of graduate curricula at Yale University. Through the 20th century, the journal published work that responded to developments traced to Immanuel Kant scholarship revived at Cornell University and consequentialist debates influenced by readings of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. During the postwar era, contributions engaged with ethical issues raised by events including the Nuremberg Trials, the emergence of Cold War policy questions, and controversies tied to Civil Rights Movement litigation. Late 20th- and early 21st-century shifts reflected intersections with scholars at Oxford University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and interdisciplinary centers such as Kennedy School of Government and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Scope and editorial policy

The journal’s scope encompasses normative theory, metaethics, moral psychology, political philosophy, and applied ethics as they relate to institutions like United Nations bodies, judicial decisions from the Supreme Court of the United States, and regulatory frameworks exemplified by Food and Drug Administration deliberations. It solicits work addressing classic problems associated with thinkers such as Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, David Hume, and G. E. Moore, while also publishing analyses responding to contemporary crises illustrated by events like the Hurricane Katrina response and policy debates following the September 11 attacks. The editorial policy emphasizes rigorous peer review comparable to standards at journals such as Philosophical Review and Nous, while encouraging submissions that engage empirical research from centers like RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, and medical ethics programs at Harvard Medical School.

Publication and indexing

Published quarterly by the University of Chicago Press, the journal appears in indexes and databases including JSTOR, Scopus, and Web of Science. Libraries at institutions such as Library of Congress, British Library, Bodleian Libraries, and university systems including University of California and State University of New York maintain subscriptions. The journal’s articles are frequently cited in reports from organizations like World Health Organization and deliberations in forums such as International Court of Justice briefings, and are cataloged in bibliographies alongside titles like Ethical Theory and Moral Practice and The Monist.

Editorial board and notable editors

Editorial leadership has included scholars affiliated with departments and centers at University of Chicago, Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, and Columbia University. Past editors and advisory board members have connections to prominent figures and institutions including John Rawls-influenced programs at Harvard Kennedy School, utilitarian scholars associated with University of Oxford and University College London, and feminist ethicists from Rutgers University and University of Michigan. The board routinely includes specialists in applied ethics tied to medical centers such as Mayo Clinic and legal scholars who have taught at New York University School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center.

Notable articles and impact

Published pieces have shaped debates about rights, justice, and moral responsibility, influencing scholarship that cites canonical works by John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Martha Nussbaum, Amartya Sen, and Judith Jarvis Thomson. Landmark articles addressing topics such as distributive justice, punishment, abortion, and animal ethics resonated with policy discussions involving the United States Congress, rulings by the European Court of Human Rights, and reports from Committee on Bioethics-style bodies. The journal’s contributions have been reprinted in anthologies used in curricula at Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press textbooks, and have informed debates at conferences hosted by organizations like the American Philosophical Association and the Society for Applied Philosophy.

Reception and controversies

The journal has been praised for maintaining high standards similar to Philosophy and Public Affairs and Journal of Political Philosophy, while criticized at times for perceived ideological leanings or gatekeeping practices mirrored in disputes at institutions like Harvard University and Princeton University. Controversies include debates about editorial decisions during periods of public controversy tied to topics such as bioethical regulation overseen by Food and Drug Administration panels, wartime ethics in the context of Iraq War policy, and campus discussions paralleling controversies at Stanford University and Columbia University. Responses to critiques have involved revisions to peer-review protocols and increased outreach to scholars from centers including University of Cape Town, Peking University, and Australian National University.

Category:Philosophy journals