Exploring Ethics Session 2

We all face ethical choices. How do we know what is “good” or “bad,” or “right” or “wrong”? Are there standards of ethics by which we can judge people or their actions? In this course, we’ll reflect on common intuitions we have about how humans ought to live our lives. We’ll learn to apply analytical reasoning to our intuitions while investigating the debate between moral relativism—which denies ethical distinctions such as right or wrong—and moral realism, which upholds them. We’ll examine theories for guiding moral decisions, like utilitarianism, in which moral choices are evaluated based on their consequences, and Kant’s claim that moral actions come from an objective and rational universal principle of morality. We’ll also explore virtue ethics, which focus on cultivating morally worthwhile traits in each individual, and consider ethical dilemmas like war, animal rights, and capital punishment while critiquing primary philosophical works, participating in discussions and debates, and writing analytical essays.