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PHIL 230 Introduction to Ethics
Theories of obligation and value; moral reasoning; normative ethics, descriptive ethics and meta-ethics. Readings in classic and contemporary texts.
This course is eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading. To determine whether you can take this course for Credit/D/Fail grading, visit the Credit/D/Fail website. You must register in the course before you can select the Credit/D/Fail grading option.
Credits: 3
| Status | Section | Activity | Term | Interval | Days | Start Time | End Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHIL 230 001 | Lecture | 1 | Mon Wed Fri | 12:00 | 13:00 | |||
| PHIL 230 002 | Lecture | 2 | Mon Wed Fri | 11:00 | 12:00 | Instructor: Irwin Chan | ||
| PHIL 230 003 | Lecture | 2 | Tue Thu | 9:30 | 11:00 |
Section Comments
Course Description: This course surveys some of the main roots and thinkers of the Western ethical tradition, starting from its basis in ancient Greek and Judeo-Christian thought, and then synthesized and secularized in the modern era. Main texts include Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics," excerpts from the Bible and Christian scholars, Hobbes' "Leviathan," Hume's "Treatise of Human Understanding," Kant's "Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals," and Mill's "Utilitarianism." Some more contemporary readings will also be covered to illustrate more recent developments in this philosophical tradition. Main topics include the places of reason, emotion, culture, and happiness in ethics; the role of self-interest vs. duty to others; and whether ethics is objective or subjective.