Course Objective

1. Acquire advanced knowledge of normative ethics, value theory, and
moral responsibility.
2. Learn to appreciate moral dilemmas and to justify decisions on the
basis of ethical theories.
3. Learn to write a philosophical paper: either a theoretical paper
(where you critically engage with one of the authors), or a practical
paper (where you use one of the theories to resolve a dilemma in your
own domain).

Course Content

Is it permitted to take a full body scan? Should we register as stem
cell donor? Should euthanasia sometimes be permitted to prevent suicide?
It is one thing to resolve such moral dilemmas (e.g. for prudential or
political reasons), it is another to be able to justify your decisions,
morally. In this course, you will learn to develop such justifications
on the basis of substantive ethical theories.

We will examine the main approaches in normative ethics, including
consequentialism, Kantian ethics, and contractualism, as well as
theories of value and moral responsibility.

Teaching Methods

Lectures

Method of Assessment

Final exam: 50%
Paper: 50%

Literature

Textbook (M. Timmons, Moral Theory, 2nd ed., 2012), plus articles that
will be announced on Canvas.