PHL 201 Ethics

Ethics is the study of morality, including an analysis of the concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, justice, responsibility, duty, character and successful living. Topics include whether morality is relative to culture or to the individual, moral skepticism, the relationship between morality and religion, theories about what makes particular actions right or wrong, the source of moral knowledge and how morality affects the way we approach controversial social issues.

Credits

4

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Differentiate between the metaethical theories of realism, anti-realism, absolutism, relativism and divine command theory, as well as the normative theories of egoism, utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics

2. Identify notable figures in moral philosophy and their contributions to the field

3. Explain concepts embedded in primary source material

4. Evaluate ethical theories for logical coherence and alignment with moral intuitions, and cogently argue for or against each of these theories as explanations for moral phenomena and guides to right action

5. Apply ethical theories to personal moral dilemmas encountered in daily life
6. Apply ethical theories to controversial social and political problems