This course will study how philosophers have addressed the question of how to live. Our study will include both first-order questions such as: What ought our lives to aim at? What is a good person? What is right and what is wrong?  And second-order questions such as: What does it mean to say that something is right, or wrong? Are there objective moral facts? Is moral knowledge possible?

A successful student will have a grasp on the main ideas of the most important Western traditions of moral thought, an ability to understand perceived strengths and weakness of different theories, and an ability to critically understand differing perspectives. Furthermore, the student will have acquired a vocabulary in which to conduct her moral thought, and a continued interest in philosophy.

Texts:

James Rachels, The  Elements of Moral Philosophy, Ed.6, McGraw-Hill, 978-0073386713, Amazon price: $34.94

In addition, original  texts will be made available online. They include writings by Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Hume, Kant, Mill, Moore, Mackie, Ayer, Nietzsche, Sartre, Hare, Nagel, Williams and Blackburn.