What Should We Do?: Philosophy's Search for the Foundations of Right Action, from Aristotle's Virtues and the Stoic Good Through Kant and Utilitarianism to Modern Ethics
About this ebook
In 399 BCE, an Athenian jury sentenced a seventy-year-old philosopher to death because he refused to stop asking his fellow citizens one inescapable question: How should we live?
Today, we often treat ethics as an academic luxury. But the truth is, ethics is the ultimate survival tool. Every daily choice you make—how you treat a difficult colleague, what you consume, how you handle a personal crisis—is driven by a hidden moral framework. The only question is whether your framework is consciously chosen or blindly inherited.
In What Should We Do?, Alex Omberg delivers a gripping, accessible journey through the greatest minds in moral philosophy. Far from a dry textbook, this practical introduction to ethics serves as a high-stakes manual for navigating the complex moral dilemmas of the modern world.
Inside this comprehensive history of philosophy, you will discover:
The Aristotelian Edge: Why true happiness isn't a fleeting feeling, but an active state of "flourishing"—and how to build it through daily habit.
The Stoic Antidote: How Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius used the "dichotomy of control" to find unshakeable inner peace in chaotic times.
The Kantian Compass: A foolproof rational test for making impossible decisions when your emotions are clouding your judgment.
The Utilitarian Calculus: How to weigh the "greater good" in an interconnected world, from global poverty to animal rights.
The Modern Frontier: How to apply ancient wisdom to 21st-century dilemmas, including artificial intelligence, climate change, and global inequality.
You don't need a university degree to learn how to live a good life, but you do need the courage to examine it. Whether you are facing a massive career crossroads, navigating a painful personal dilemma, or simply seeking deeper meaning, this book will equip you with the mental tools to act with clarity, purpose, and profound integrity.
The examined life is waiting for you.
