| This course provides a select treatment of some methodological and substantive problems in twentieth-century and more recent ethical theory. The topics range from the challenge of normativity (Moore, Gewirth, Searle, and Koorsgaard), intuitionism (Strawson, McMahon), and egoism (Sidgewick, Parfit) to recent versions of the consequentialist and non-consequentialist debate (Fry, Hooker, Narveson; Thomas Hill, Francis Kamm). We then situate contemporary virtue ethics (especially Nussbaum, Foot, Hursthouse) within the latter debate and consider related discussions of moral luck and situationism as well as their implications for some of these theories. We conclude by surveying some of the emerging literature in experimental philosophy and its contribution to ethical theory. Open to 2nd year students and above. |
