PHI 24: Intro to Ethics and Political Philosophy

This course is an introduction to the philosophical study of moral notions, arguments, and theories. A large chunk of the course will be devoted to several influential views -- very different from one another -- that many people have taken to threaten conventional morality: ethical relativism, ethical egoism, ethical skepticism in its many forms, and utilitarianism. In each case, we will consider whether the view really does conflict with more conventional moral doctrines and, if it does, whether this is a problem for conventional morality or the view that appears to threaten it. Our method will be to investigate some of the basic questions of moral philosophy: Why should one be moral? Is being moral part of what makes a person's life go best? Do ends justify the means, or are there some actions that are always wrong, no matter how much good may result from them? How stringent are the demands of morality? Do moral praise and blame presuppose that we are fully in control of our actions and their consequences? What are fairness and justice? Are there objective moral truths, or are right and wrong in the eye of the beholder or her socio-cultural group? The aims of the course are two: first, to introduce you to some of the major problems, debates, and theories in ethics and political philosophy; and second, to assist you in developing your analytical skills.