The first section of Life Science Ethics introduces students to essential background concepts in moral theory -- ethics, the relationship of religion to ethics, how to assess ethical arguments, and a method used to reason about ethical theories. The next section demonstrates the relevance of ethical reasoning to six topics:
-- The relative moral standing of ecosystems, nonhuman animals, and future human generations
-- The moral justifiability of genetic engineering as a whole and the patenting of life forms in particular
-- Our duty to aid the hungry
-- Our obligation to animals used to produce fiber, food, and knowledge
-- Public policies to adjudicate conflicting rights claims among urban consumers, environmentalists, and farmers over the use of water and land
-- The virtues traditionally associated with family farms

Part three provides a dozen case studies and study questions to raise relevant ethical issues and draw readers into concrete discussions of complex moral questions.