Annie Corbitt

The course is an historically structured survey of ethical theory. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the major ethical theories developed over the history of philosophy and to apply these theories to contemporary social and political problems, such as the authority of government, the significance of consent and democratic rule, charity, friendship, war, and the distribution of wealth. Class time is focused heavily on discussion of the intuitions brought to bear to defend and explain these theories, such as our own impressions of when and why someone is morally responsible for what they do. Major texts include Plato?s Gorgias and Crito, Aristotle?s Nicomachean Ethics, Augustine?s On the Free Choice of the Will, Kant?s Groundwork, Nietzsche?s Genealogy of Morals, Mill?s Utilitarianism, Nozick?s Anarchy State and Utopia, and Rawls? Theory of Justice. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.

This class will introduce students to the core philosophical problems associated with religion, in particular the three Abrahamic religions. What is the nature of the divine as these religions understand it? What are the main arguments for and against belief in such a divinity? What are the problems associated with them? How do the religions we consider relate to other religious traditions? Authors read will include Al-Farabi, Spinoza, Aquinas, Kierkegaard, Hume, and Christopher Hitchens.