Introduction : The shape of things to come ; Methodological preliminaries
An analytical history : The springs of sympathy : Psychological altruism: basics ; The varieties of altruistic reactions ; Some dimensions of altruism ; Maternal concern ; Broader forms of altruism? ; Possibilities of evolutionary explanation ; The coalition game
Normative guidance : The limits of altruism ; Following orders ; Punishment ; Conscience ; Social embedding
Experiments of living : From there to here ; Cultural competition ; The unseen enforcer ; Some dots to be connected ; Division of labor ; Roles, rules, and institutions ; Altruism expanded
One thing after another? : Mere change? ; Three ancient examples ; Second-sex citizens ; Repudiating chattel slavery ; The withering of vice ; The divine commander
II. A metaethical perspective : Troubles with truth : Taking stock ; Prima facie problems ; Truth, realism and constructivism ; The sources of troubles
Possibilities of progress : The centrality of ethical progress ; Generalizations from history ; Problems, functions and progress ; Modes of refinement ; Functional generation ; Local and global progress ; Ethical truth revisited ; Residual concerns
Naturalistic fallacies? : Hume's challenge ; Authority undermined? ; Troublesome characters ; Settling disputes
III. A normative stance : Progress, equality, and the good : Two visions of normative ethics ; Dynamic consequentialism ; Failures and successes ; From the local community to the human population ; Equality and the good life ; Population size ; Aspects of the good life
Method in ethics : Varieties of ethical change ; Method and the good ; Mutual engagement ; Ethical debate ; Dissent and the limits of tolerance ; The challenger revisited
Renewsing the project : Philosophical midwifery ; Scarce resources ; Habits and their limits ; Conflicting roles ; Ethically insulated spheres ; Maintaining equality ; The challenges of technology
Conclusion : Summing up.