Being good is not good enough to be moral. In "Do No Evil," Michael Berumen debunks the notions that moral judgments are subjective preferences and that there ar

Being good is not good enough to be moral. In "Do No Evil," Michael Berumen debunks the notions that moral judgments are subjective preferences and that there are no universal standards of morality. He analyzes leading normative theories and gives biographical highlights on several important philosophers. Berumen then sets forth his own theory: the only basis for "universal" morality is the avoidance of death and suffering, in contrast to conventional conceptions of promoting good, which he shows cannot form a basis for universal rules of conduct.

Berumen then examines the concepts of...