PHIL 200L - Ethics

3 Credit(s)

Liberal Arts
The question of ethics or moral philosophy is: What is the good? The field deals with such important sub-questions as: What is the source of moral law - that is, of right and wrong? Who should be the primary beneficiary of the fruits gained through the pursuit of moral values: oneself or others? What are the character traits - the virtues - by means of which human beings achieve values? This course will study answers to these questions provided by great moral philosophers of history such as Plato, Aristotle, and Kant, and it will examine how these answers can be applied to moral issues relevant today - such as stem cell research, gay marriage and adoption, capital punishment, and torture of terrorists.

Prerequisite(s): PHIL 101L