Philosophy 350: Contemporary Ethics and Meta-ethics
Course Taught By
Dr. Stephanie Patridge
Course Description
This course focuses on the nature and content of ethical theorizing. Some of the questions that we will consider are: Is pleasure the only good? Are individual's preferences the only basis for assessing the quality of their lives? What makes right acts right? What is the role of character in ethical behavior? In an attempt to answer these questions we will look to contemporary defenses of three influential ethical theories: consequentialism, neo-Kantianism, and virtue ethics. We will also pursue important issues in meta-ethics, including the nature and possibility of objective truth in ethics.Texts Used
In recent versions of this course, the following texts were used:Marica Baron, Philip Pettit, and Michael Slote, Three Methods of Ethics, Wiley-Blackwell
Darwall, Gibbard, and Railton, eds. Moral Discourse and Practice, Oxford University Press
Different texts may be used in the future; check with the bookstore to find out what books are required for the course when you plan on taking it.
