The Ethical Imagination

"I hope the cover of this book, as well as the words and ideas within, might stimulate insights. For me, the bird on the man's shoulder symbolizes the human spirit, imagination, freedom, and the capacity and courage to explore physical, intellectual, and spiritual unknowns … It's hard to tell whether the bird is a pigeon (a messenger) or a dove (a symbol of harmony, love, and peace), but in either case she's an ordinary, everyday bird. As such, she carries the message that all of us, not just a 'chosen few,' need to exercise our ethical imaginations and engage in journeys of the human spirit."

—from The Ethical Imagination



In the 2006 CBC Massey Lectures, renowned ethicist Margaret Somerville asked: What does it mean to be human today, when mind-altering scientific breakthroughs are challenging our ideas of ourselves, how we relate to others and the world, and how we find meaning in life?
Somerville touches upon controversial topics such as new reproductive technologies, genetic modification, and transhumanism. And she eloquently proposes that it is only by undertaking a journey of the imagination—by heeding our stories, myths, and moral intuition—that we can truly develop an ethics to guide us into the future.