‘How should one live?’ is the guiding question for the study of ethics. To answer it requires reflection on the idea of the good life and the difference between the right thing to do and the wrong thing to do, as well as on the existence of virtues and of an objective moral code that everyone ought to follow. This introductory module will approach such issues in terms of both the contemporary debates philosophers are engaged in and also key historical contributions to ethics. Questions students will be exploring include: ‘is a good action more about good intentions than beneficial outcomes?’, ‘does lying possess an objective property of badness?’, ‘ought different people to follow different moral codes?’ and ‘what activities lead to a good life?’.

The course aims to introduce students to key concepts in ethics – both meta-ethics and normative ethics. Students will gain an acquaintance with the main a pproaches to moral theory (virtue ethics, deontology and utilitarianism), as well as key debates in meta-ethics (subjectivism vs objectivism, naturalism vs non-naturalism). The course is split into two parts: part of the course is devoted to introducing crucial concepts in contemporary ethics  in order to provide students with the necessary grounding for further exploration of moral philosophy; the other part of the course is devoted to a close reading of one or two texts by canonical philosophers (Aristotle, Kant or Mill).

Students should gain an understanding of:

1. The basic concepts of contemporary ethical debate.
2. Characteristic philosophical methods and schools of thought within the field of ethics.
3. The key ethical insights and arguments of an important European philosopher (Plato, Kant or Mill).

Students will gain the skills requisite for:

1. Reconstructing arguments in ethical theory.
2. Analysing key concepts.
3. Reading a canonical philosophical text in detail.
4. Writing rigorous and structured philosophy essays.

The course is split into two parts. One part of the course will consist in lectures on contemporary concepts in moral theory and meta-ethics – in particular, there will be an emphasis on the subjectivism/objectivism debate. For example, lectures will consider the naturalistic fallacy (Moore), normative and descriptive theories of relativism (Harman), Mackie’s critique of objectivism and non-cognitivism (Ayer). The other part of the course will consist in a detailed, close reading of one or two key ethical texts from the history of philosophy. For example, possible texts include Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and J.S. Mill’s Utilitarianism. The last two lectures on the course will be focused on revision and providing the skills for writing good philosophy essays under exam conditions.

The course is taught by two lectures and one seminar per week. Seminars start in Week 2.

At the beginning of the course, the lecturer will explain what is expected of students. The emphasis is on rigorous thinking about key concepts in philosophy, as well as close, detailed reading of philosophical texts. Throughout the course, students will be given unassessed assignments in order to ensure they are keeping up to speed with the material (weekly learning targets will also be provided to ensure this).

Full resources will be available on the electronic blackboard VITAL, including audio files of the lectures, lecture summaries and links to secondary and further reading.

Fricker, M and S Guttenplan (eds), Reading Ethics

Benn, P. Ethics

Mackie, J.L. Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong

Singer, P (ed). A Companion to Ethics

Rachels, J. The Elements of Moral Philosophy

Miller, A. An Introduction to Contemporary Metaethics

Harman, G. The Nature of Morality

Williams, B. Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy

Useful web resources:

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - www.plato.standford.edu