- Course Description -

 

 

The purposes of this course are to introduce you to some of the main concepts and theories in the field of philosophical ethics and to give you experience in making and justifying ethical decisions. Over the course of the term, we will consider some of the basic questions of ethics: How can we tell right from wrong and good from bad? What is it to be a good person? What should we do when two or more of our ethical principles conflict? Can moral claims be objectively true or false or is morality all just a matter of opinion? We will look at how philosophers have answered these questions in the past and think about how their answers might be relevant to contemporary ethical dilemmas. Our readings will include both classical and contemporary texts. In this course you will have a chance to consider the most basic questions of right and wrong, and in doing so you will gain experience in thinking critically, reasoning carefully, and writing articulately.