Undergraduate Course: Meta-Ethics (PHIL10019)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This is an advanced undergraduate seminar on metaethics: the area of philosophy that studies questions about the nature, source, and authority of morality, especially as they pertain to metaphysical, epistemological, semantic, and moral psychological questions. The course builds on students' prior study of core issues and theories. (For background, students are encouraged to consult chs. 0-1 and 6 of M. Chrisman What Is This Thing Called Metaethics.) In addition to students interested in ethical theory, this course will be relevant to those interested in metaphysics, epistemology, and the theory of meaning. |
| Course description |
The precise topics for this course vary from year to year, as the intention is for the course topics to be research-led, giving students insight into what metaethical issues faculty find interesting and important now. Some indicative topics are: (i) do moral principles have universal application?, (ii) can there be pure moral testimony?, (iii) how does moral virtue relate to human nature?, (iv) are their economic/ historic/ sociological determinants of moral value? (v) can there be moral obligations without an authoritative lawgiver?, (vi) what does it take to have the standing to make moral judgments?, (vii) what's the semantic relation between moral oughts and imperatives?, (viii) how to understand the content of thick ethical concepts?, (ix) do evolutionary considerations debunk moral realism? We will sometimes focus on a specific author or set of authors and seek to understand their metaethical views well.
Please consult the course guide for precise topics for this year.
The primary goal of this course is to develop your critical and analytical thinking skills and to deepen your understanding of moral philosophy. You will do this through in-class discussion and by arguing in your written work for the ideas you find most persuasive and challenging ideas you think are incorrect. Excelling in the course will demonstrate your growing precision in thought, an ability to interpret a text charitably and reconstruct the arguments found in that text and critically engage with those arguments, the capacity to develop your own convincing arguments for theses you find plausible, and anticipate the most powerful objections to your arguments and counter them, among other core philosophical skills. The course should be especially useful in honing your ability to think comparatively and creatively about how to motivate particular viewpoints on controversial questions.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014) AND
Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students studying on MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) are permitted to take this course without having met the pre-requisites of Mind, Matter and Language and Knowledge and Reality. However, it is advisable that students discuss the suitability of the course with their Student Adviser and the Course Organiser before enrolling. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have completed at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Term Project - 50%
Final essay (2,500 words) - 50%
For the term project, students are asked to present some complex philosophical ideas related to the readings of the course in a format other than the standard philosophy course essay. They are given some possible models (academic presentation, podcast, interactive concept map, YouTube explainer video, radio play, etc.), but they are also encouraged to design a unique project based on their own interests and future needs to demonstrate creative intellectual skills. They work with the CO on a proposal-refinement-milestone setting process, and the final product includes evidence of how they engaged with this process. It is this and the expression of the philosophical ideas which are assessed, not the aesthetic/creative elements of the project. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- A thorough understanding of the important positions in contemporary meta-ethics, some of which students will have encountered in less depth in previous courses, others of which will be new to students.
- An enhancement of philosophical skills, through pursuing contemporary questions at an advanced level.
- A furthering of communications skills, through discussions and constructive debate in a seminar setting.
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Reading List
| For an indication of topics and content please see Chrisman, M 'What Is This Thing Called Metaethics 2016. For the full reading list please see the Learn site. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Matthew Chrisman
Tel: (0131 6)50 3648
Email: matthew.chrisman@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Cameron Findlay
Tel:
Email: cameron.findlay@ed.ac.uk |
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