Brief Description:

Why did Kant think it was wrong to make promises one has no intention of keeping? What are all the kinds of pleasure there are, according to Bentham. What would Aristotle say about the responsibility of a drunk driver for a resultant fatal accident? What's the connection between God and morality, according to Aquinas? What is the essential nature of virtue, according to Aristotle? It is questions of this nature that will be addressed in this course. It will involve a careful examination of thoughts about happiness and right and wrong by the greatest minds in western civilization from the beginning of philosophical thought to 100 years ago. We'll explore the ethical theories of Plato, Aristotle, Epictetus, Aquinas, Hume, Kant, and Bentham.

Prerequisites:

One course in philosophy. Apart from that this course is open to all students interested in the foundations of moral right and wrong.

Texts:

Plato, The Republic, third edition (Hackett, 2004): 0872207366

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (Oxford, 1998): 019283407X

Epictetus, Handbook (Hackett, 1983): 0915145693

Thomas Aquinas, Treatise on Law (Hackett, 2000): 0872205487

David Hume, Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (Hackett, 1983): 0915145456

Jeremy Bentham, The Principles of Morals and Legislation (Prometheus, 1988): 0879754346

Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (Hackett, 1993): 0-87220-166-X

Other information:

• Requirements (forthcoming)
• Important Dates (forthcoming)
• Reading Schedule (forthcoming)
• Policies
• Term Papers
• Office Hours
• Hume: An Observation
• Anonymous question/feedback form