Philosophy 585: Ethics
Spring, 2012

Course Theme: Virtue Ethics

Virtue ethics has become a popular alternative to deontology and consequentialism. Some purported benefits of virtue ethics are that it avoids the rigorism of deontology ("What do you mean I'm not allowed to lie to the murderer at my door?!?"), the crassness of consequentialism ("So it's okay for me to kill an innocent person to save two others?"), and the coldness of both ("Don't thank me for visiting you in the hospital, Dad. I'm only doing it because it's my duty and maximizes general welfare!")

In this class we will be examining the strengths and weaknesses of virtue ethics. We will start by looking at its historical development, and then we will focus on a series of questions: is VE truly a third type of theory or is it just a fancy form of deontology or consequentialism? Does VE require a scientifically debunked moral psychology? Can VE be applied to difficult issues such as abortion? Is VE overly conservative?

There will be a course website on K-State Online, which will have the syllabus and other materials for the class. Access to the course website is for enrolled students only.

 

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