4809371: FU_Doing the Right Thing: On Practical Ethics (Lecture)

Beschreibung

Philosophy is often and mistakenly taken as a discipline that has no relation to the real world. This course, centered around ethics in general, and practical ethics in particular, aims at deconstructing this false view about philosophy.
For practical ethics is the area of ethics that tries to analyze specific, concrete and controversial moral issues in order to provide the best (right?) answers. Indeed, as human beings, we are often confronted with real-life situations which require ethical analysis and orientation. For example:

• Should animals be used for medical purpose?
• Should one's privacy be violated for safety or security reasons?
• Should some live wealthy while others die of hunger?
• Should a citizen, even in a democratic setting, disregard his obligations towards the state?

Lernergebnisse

Participants will be able to:

• Familiarize with traditional and modern ethical theories.
• Acquire knowledge of different fields of practical ethics
• Understand how ethical theories can be applied to practical and concrete life-situations.
• Formulate personal and well-articulated positions
• Develop critical thinking.

Lehrmethoden

Lectures, written examination

Voraussetzungen (inhaltlich)

• A genuine interest in ethical issues
• Attendance of the seminar "Fundamentals of Philosophy" is recommended.

Literatur

Required Reading

• Simon Blackburn, Ethics: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: OUP, 2001).
• Andrew I. Cohen, Christopher H. Wellman, Eds. Contemporary Debates in Applied Ethics (Oxford: Blackwell, 2005).
• Peter Singer, Practical Ethics, 3rd Ed. (Cambridge: CUP, 2011)

• Michael Boylan (ed.), Environmental Ethics (John Wiley & Sons, 2nd edition, 2013).
• David Miller, Political Philosophy. A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: OUP, 2003.)
• Michael Huemer, The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey (Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, 2013.)

Kommentar

Dr. Cheikh Gueye; Link zum Profil: http://cheikh-mbacke-gueye.com

Fakultätsübergreifendes Wahlfach:
Es gelten keine speziellen Anmeldemodalitäten.