2009 Course Handbook
PHIL225: Ethical Theory
The ethical theories of Aristotle, John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant have had a major impact on contemporary ethical thought both within and outside philosophy. While providing an introduction to these theories, the unit also aims to show how they have influenced contemporary ways of thinking about moral agency and our moral relations with others. We focus on Aristotle's conceptions of voluntary and involuntary actions, excuses, justifications and culpability, which ground contemporary understandings of moral and legal responsibility. We also discuss Aristotle's views on friendship, which resonate with contemporary views about the good of friendship and underpin much current philosophical discussion of friendship. John Stuart Mill's text On Liberty provides the classic defence of individual liberty. We discuss Mill's views on the scope and limits of liberty, his defence of the importance of freedom of speech and consider the application of his arguments to the issue of pornography and "hate speech". Kant's moral philosophy is premised on his famous claim that the only thing that is intrinsically good is a good will. In the final section of the unit we discuss Kant's conception of the good will in the light of recent philosophical debates about whether Kant's moral philosophy requires us to be 'moral saints'. We also discuss Kant's notion of respect for persons, which underpins recent discussions of the moral and political importance of both respect for others and self-respect.
| Credit Points: | 4 |
| Contact Hours: | 3 |
| When Offered: | 2010 - offered in 2010 |
| Staff Contact: | Associate Professor Catriona Mackenzie |
| Prerequisites: | 12cp or admission to GDipPhil |
| Corequisites: | |
| NCCWs: | PHIL233 |
| Unit Designations: | -- |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: |
Department of Philosophy |