HONR-2040 : Ethics and Moral Philosophy

This seminar examines the nature of moral responsibility and the practice of moral reasoning. Classic and contemporary authors will guide a philosophical examination of foundational ethical questions, such as: Are there moral principles that hold true in all times and places? Does the existence of moral responsibility depend on a religious foundation? Do human beings have a nature, function, or set of capacities that provide a framework for moral responsibility? Is it best to understand moral responsibility as a duty to promote good states of affairs, to respect individual rights, or to balance and combine the two? To what extent does moral responsibility extend across international borders? Does moral agency belong to individuals, groups, or both? Do human beings have responsibilities not only to existing persons but to future generations, nonhuman animals, ecosystems, and the like? The course will build on students' earlier readings in virtue ethics (Aristotle) and natural law theory (Aquinas), and will examine modern ethical theories such as utilitarianism (Bentham, Mill) and duty-based ethics (Kant), as well as critiques and extensions of classic Western ethics from authors of the Global South, feminists, and/or postmodern authors.