| Unit name | Ethics |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL20011 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Alan Wilson |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Philosophical Ethics is generally divided into three parts as follows.
1. Metaethics. What is the nature of a moral judgment? Do moral judgements have truth-values, or are they something else (e.g. commands or expressions of emotion)?
2. Normative ethics. What makes a given action right and another wrong? What is the relation between the right and the good? Can we articulate a moral theory that is both clear and consistent in its own right, and captures most of our intuitive sense of what is right and wrong?
3. Applied ethics. Here we take the theories of normative ethics and apply them to real-life moral and political topics such as abortion, euthanasia, sexual conduct, free speech, censorship, the justification of punishment, and of course many others.
The balance of this unit will be about 80% normative ethics and 20% applied ethics. The focus will be on the three great theories of normative ethics that dominate the current debate, basing ethics on (a) consequences (eg utilitarians), (b) duty (Kant and his followers) and (c) virtue (Aristotelians). But it’s impossible to grasp the key differences between these three distinct approaches to ethical theory without at least sketching some of their practical implications, so parts of the unit will inevitably spill over from the normative theories to their implications for applied ethics. It surely matters to your views on, e.g., sexual morality or the role of consent in medicine if your basic principles are utilitarian, Kantian, or Aristotelian.
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to demonstrate:
(1) detailed knowledge and in-depth understanding of the central issues, debates, and positions, in ethics.
(2) familiarity with some of the central literature on these issues, debates, and positions.
(3) skills in the researching, reading and presentation of complex material, on these topics, as appropriate to Level I.
22 1-hour lectures and 11 1-hour seminars
Formative: two 2500 word essays designed to test learning outcomes (1)-(3).
Summative: one 3-hour unseen exam designed to test learning outcomes (1)-(3).
Baron , Pettit, and Slote, Three Methods of Ethics (Blackwell, Oxford, 1997)
