WesMaps - Wesleyan University Catalog 2007-2008       Summer Session       Winter Session       Home       Archive       Search
CS92PROD
Introduction to Ethics

PHIL 212
Spring 2008
Section: 01  
Certificates: Environmental Studies

Morality is all around us. Every day we make moral judgments about the character and actions of other people, and every day we make decisions about what we ought to do in a variety of situations. Moreover, at various points in our lives, almost all of us have been confronted with some sort of moral dilemma. But how do we make moral judgments, and how do we determine what the right course of action is? Are there any objective moral principles and standards? If so, what are they, and how (if at all) can they be justified? To ask these questions is to take a philosophical approach to morality. Ethics (or moral philosophy) is the systematic attempt to analyze moral concepts and to justify moral principles and theories. This course provides an introduction to moral philosophy. During the semester we will examine several of the most important and influential ethical theories of the Western tradition. The core of the course consists of an examination of virtue ethics, utilitarianism, and deontology - the big-three ethical theories of the Western tradition. In addition, we will consider Nietzsche's critique of traditional morality. Finally, we will briefly examine divine command theory, egoism, and (time permitting) relativism and subjectivism. Our study of these theories will be centered on primary texts from the history of philosophy.

Essential Capabilities: None
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA PHIL
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (CIVI-MN)(CSCT)(ENVS-MN)(ENVS)(HRAD-MN)(PHIL)(PHIL-Philosophy)(PHIL-Social Jus)(STS)
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on MAR-29-2024
Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions. Please include a url, course title, faculty name or other page reference in your email ? Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459