Why is it right to behave in one way rather than another? How do I know what is good for myself or for others? As soon as we ask such questions, we are led on inevitably to the basic questions of ethical philosophy: what is the standard of rightness and goodness? What do we refer to when we use words such as 'right' and 'good'? In addressing himself to these questions, Professor Hourani seeks a middle way for modern man, between the drifting sands of subjectivism and relativism on the one hand and the stony heights of 'moral intuition' on the other. He believes that our ethical judgements are at the same time both objective—claiming to be true—and empirical, based on experience of certain types of facts about the world around us. The relevant facts concern the amount of happiness likely to be created by any course of action, and the justice with which such happiness is likely to be distrubuted among people. This theory bears a certain resemblance to the classical utilitarianism of John Stuart Mill, but the author has both reformulated the main questions and modified the answers in a number of ways, taking careful account of twentieth-century criticisms. His central theme is well worked out and maintains close reference to recent controversy. Professor Hourani's primary material is the everyday moral language of the English-speaking West. A final chapter attempts to show how his theory applies to some non-Western societies such as those of Communism, ancienst Judaism, and Islam.