Philosophy | Introduction to Ethics
P140 | 3177 | Gehring

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Here's a shocking but true statement: The Earth is round. That's objectively true no matter what anyone says or thinks. Are there any objective moral truths like this? For example, is the fact that murder is wrong objectively true in the same way? Or, is the only reason why murder is wrong the fact that in America we pass laws against it? Suppose there are objective moral truths. Then what makes an action morally good or bad? Is an action like giving food and money to the poor morally good because God commands it? Or, is an action like this good because it maximizes overall happiness in the world? And, if there are objective moral truths, then what exactly are they? Is it an objective moral truth that abortion is wrong? Is it an objective moral truth that euthanasia is wrong? Or, are these morally permissible? These are some of the ethical questions at the heart of the Western philosophic tradition. We will be surveying a number of answers to these questions. We will look at historically important answers from philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, Sartre, Ayer, Mill, and Kant. But, we will also look at contemporary answers from philosophers such as Bernard Williams, Judith Jarvis Thomson, and Peter Singer. As an introductory class, no background in this subject matter will be required. The goals of this class will be for you to learn the theoretical benefits and drawbacks with each position that we cover, and for you to learn how to analyze and evaluate moral claims and arguments. You should leave this class able to think about these issues more deeply and to thereby develop further your personal views on these issues. Coursework will include a mid-term, term paper, and final exam. Our course text will be the fourth edition of Steven Cahn and Peter Markie's Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary Issues. Feel free to direct any further questions about the class to asgehrin@indiana.edu.