PHIL 463.001 – Contemporary Moral and Social Problems

Instructor: Douglas MacLean. This course meets W 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. in CW 213.

Climate Change – Ethics and Economics – After reviewing the scientific evidence that climate change is happening and human activity is the primary cause, this seminar will focus on the social dimensions of the problem. Specifically, we will examine the unique ethical issues associated with harms that are global in scope and extend for generations in the future. Thinking about these problems requires using the techniques of economics, including risk analysis, rational responses to uncertainty, discounting for future events, and how to value non-marketed goods, such as loss of human life and environmental destruction.