A word to the student - why study moral philosophy?; what is ethics; ethical relativism - who's to judge what's right and wrong?; the case for moral objectivism; egoism, self-interest, and altruism; value - the quest for good; utilitarianism; Kantian and deontological systems; virtue-based ethical systems; why should I be moral?; religion and ethics; the fact-value problem - metaethics in the 20th century; moral realism and the challenge of skepticism; a concluding reflection - minimal morality, virtue ethics, and the development of character. Appendices: an analysis of the modified divine command theory; how to read and write a philosophy paper.