HONR-2040 : Ethics and Moral Philosophy
Honors Program | College of Arts and Sciences | UG
This seminar examines the nature of moral responsibility and the practice of moral reasoning.Classic and contemporary authors willguidea philosophicalexamination of foundational ethical questions, such as: Are there moralprinciples thathold true in all times and places? Does the existence of moral responsibilitydepend on a religiousfoundation?Do human beings have a nature, function, or set of capacities that provide a framework for moral responsibility? Is it best to understand moral responsibility asa duty to promotegood states of affairs,to respect individual rights, orto balance and combine the two?To what extent does moral responsibility extend across international borders?Does moral agency belong to individuals, groups, or both? Do human beings have responsibilities not only to existing persons but to future generations, nonhuman animals, ecosystems, and the like? The course will build on students' earlier readings in virtue ethics (Aristotle) andnatural law theory (Aquinas), and will examine modern ethical theories such as utilitarianism (Bentham, Mill) and duty-based ethics (Kant), as well as critiques and extensionsof classic Western ethics fromauthors of the Global South, feminists,and/or postmodern authors.