PHIL 360.001 – Major Developments in Ethics: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives

Instructor: Ian Cruise. This course meets MWF 1:20 – 2:10 p.m. via remote synchronous (RS) instruction.

This course examines the concept of justice in the Western philosophical tradition.  We will proceed through a close study of some of the central works within this tradition, works by Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Hobbes, Cudworth, Locke, Hume, Kant, and Mill.  We will conclude by uncovering the influence of this tradition on the thought of perhaps the most famous theorist of justice in the 20th century, John Rawls.  Our method of study will be primarily philosophical rather than historical.  That said, students will walk away from the course with a deeper appreciation of the intellectual history of the concept of justice.

Prerequisite: 1 PHIL course.