Postgraduate Course: Advanced Ethics (Online) (PHIL11134)
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 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Our focus in this course is on Normative ethics. Normative ethical theory aims to answer the questions 'How should I act?' and 'How should I live?'. This course provides a systematic comparison of some of the major normative traditions. The organizing theme will be the debate between theory and anti- theory in normative ethics. To that end we will spend some time on Bernard Williams' seminal work in this area: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy.
Please note auditing is not allowed on this course. Students must only take for credit. |
| Course description |
Syllabus:
1: Introduction to Normative Ethics: Socrates' Question (Synchronous seminar)
Theory
2: Consequentialism (Synchronous seminar)
3: Kant's Ethics (Asynchronous forum seminar)
4: Contractualism (Synchronous seminar)
5: Virtue Ethics (Asynchronous forum seminar)
Anti-Theory
6: Williams against Utilitarianism (Synchronous seminar)
7: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy (Asynchronous forum seminar)
8: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy (Synchronous seminar)
9: Moral Particularism (Asynchronous forum seminar)
10: Moral Particularism (Synchronous seminar)
11: Review (Asynchronous forum seminar)
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Ethics (PHIL11182)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students must have passed Ethics (PHIL11182) or equivalent during their previous studies at another institution before taking this course. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- have a grasp of fundamental issues and views in normative theory and anti- theory
- critically analyse and engage with literature by key philosophers in this field.
- present arguments clearly and concisely both within a classroom context and in a summative essay.
- gain transferable skills in research, analysis and argumentation
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Reading List
Representative Reading List
1: Bernard Williams 'Socrates' Question' Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy, Chapter one.
2: J. S. Mill Utilitarianism (chapter 3 optional)
3: Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, (Chapter one and chapter two)
4: T. Scanlon 'The Structure of Contractualism' in What We Owe To Each Other.
5: John McDowell 'Virtue and Reason' The Monist 62 (3):331-350 (1979)
6: Bernard Williams 'A Critique of Utilitarianism' in Smart and Williams
Utilitarianism For and Against
7: Bernard Williams, Chapters two and three of his Ethics and the Limits and Philosophy
8: Bernard Williams, Chapters four and five of his Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy
9: Jonathan Dancy 'What are the Options' Chapter one of his Ethics without Principles
10: Jonathan Dancy 'Holism and its Consequences' Chapter five of his Ethics without Principles |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research, critical analysis, argumentation skills (both written and oral). Critical reading skills |
| Keywords | Normative Theory,normative anti-theory,Consequentialism,utilitarianism,kantianism,virtue ethics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Michael Cholbi
Tel:
Email: mcholbi@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Ida Conlin
Tel:
Email: iconlin@ed.ac.uk |
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