Owen Flanagan argues in this book for a more psychologically realistic ethical reflection and spells out the ways in which psychology can enrich moral philosophy. Beginning with a discussion of such “moral saints” as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Oskar Schindler, Flanagan charts a middle course between an ethics that is too realistic and socially parochial and one that is too idealistic, giving no weight to our natures.

"Flanagan’s book prepares a framework for the balanced interchange between empirical studies and their varied interpretations. Rigorous in its search, the value of this book lies in its capacity to ferret out the conditional bonds between human psychology and ethical expectations." - Contemporary Psychology

"This is a rich and elegantly written book… In Flanagan’s writing, no view is dismissed out of hand, none is taken over uncritically thereby exemplifying the same intellectual responsibility he advocates for moral psychology in general." - Journal of Moral Education

"This book is both stimulating and well-written. It covers a great deal of territory, but is always clear and usually fair. It can be read with profit by psychologists, ethicists, and political philosophers." - Review of Metaphysics