Ethics and Moral Theory

Whatever our cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, everyone seeks to achieve a good life. Though most people immediately identify the good life with happiness, there can be little doubt that the good life must also include being a moral person. No matter how much pleasure, money and power is at one's disposal, most people will ultimately find these things unsatisfying unless they feel that they deserve their situation in life by virtue of the acts they have performed and the causes they have supported. The purpose of this course is to examine and clarify the moral component of the good life. It will consider moral issues of the sort that people are likely to come across in their everyday lives, as well as broader social and global issues. Hence, the course considers moral dilemmas that arise in relations with family, friends, lovers, other cultures, work, business, the law, health care, animals and the environment. Emphasis will be placed on evaluating practical moral dilemmas critically and thoughtfully. The first part of the course serves as a general introduction to the subject of ethics. Students learn what it means to reflect on the moral life, discover how to think critically about moral issues and practise expressing their views on these issues in clear, well-argued academic papers. In the second part of the course, students examine foundational moral theories including egoism, utilitarianism, duty ethics and virtue ethics. The third part of the course focuses on applied ethics. Students examine at least four major contemporary moral issues such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, censorship, human rights, animal rights, environmental ethics, business ethics, warfare and terrorism. Students who have taken PHIL 403 - Ethics and Moral Theory cannot take this course.