In this introductory course, we will discuss ethical theories,
ethical practices, and the interrelationships between them.  We will
read classical authors, such as Plato, Aristotle, Bentham, and Kant,
whose writings have informed the tradition of ethical thought.  We
will also read contemporary authors who have developed and responded
to these traditions and who have applied different types of ethical
reasoning to issues of current social policy.

We will ask questions such as the following:  (1) What does it mean
to be moral?  (2) Why should a person be moral?  (3) Are there
objective moral principles which make an action good or bad?  (4)
Alternatively, are all ethical judgments mere opinions, relative to
our private wants or to the practices of our culture?  (5) If there
are objective moral principles, are they rooted in a virtuous
character, in reasoning about what is good “in itself,” or in
calculating what will bring about the greatest amount of happiness?
(6) Can literary narratives and analogies help us to see ethical
situations from different perspectives?  (7) How can these
reflections inform our thought and actions in concrete moral dilemmas
that we may face in our own lives, as in human relationships and
abortion, and in contemporary issues of social policy, such as world
poverty and our duties to the environment?

Students will have many opportunities to develop, articulate, and
reflect upon their own ethical thinking and sensibilities by applying
their ideas to concrete ethical dilemmas through group discussions
and classroom debates.  Assignments will be frequent, but manageable
in scope and in length.