PHIL 222 Ethics

This course will introduce students to classic and contemporary debates within ethics--the study of how we ought to live. Some of the questions we will consider include: What is a good person and how can I reliably become one? Which acts are right, which are wrong, and what makes them right or wrong? What are rights and why would anyone think we have them? How may the state permissibly treat its citizens? Students will then apply normative theories to practical ethical issues that arise in their everyday lives. Is it wrong to cheat on your partner? What does it mean to be a good friend? Is it okay to eat meat? By the end of the course, students will have acquired some of the main tools necessary for grappling with these questions (and questions like them), and they’ll be encouraged to defend their conclusions with reasons and arguments.