PHIL 236
Contemporary Ethical Theory Spring 2024
Division II

Class Details

This course will examine central questions in normative ethics, including the following: Which features of actions are morally important and why (e.g., their motive, intrinsic nature, or consequences)? Which characteristics of persons give them moral status? How should moral equality be understood, and what is its foundation? When should we give morality priority over personal commitments and relationships, and why? Are we capable of disinterested altruism, or are we motivated solely by self-interest? By which methods should we pursue answers to these questions? We will examine these and related issues by looking in depth at contemporary defenses of consequentialist, deontological, and contractualist theories.
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 15
Expected: 10-15
Class#: 3643
Grading: no pass/fail option, no fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: Weekly seminar discussion questions; midterm paper (8-10 pages); final paper (10-12 pages)
Prerequisites: At least one previous PHIL course or permission of instructor
Enrollment Preferences: Current and prospective philosophy majors
Distributions: Division II
Attributes: PHIL Contemporary Value Theory Courses

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