PHIL 163.002 – Practical Ethics: Moral Reasoning and How We Live

Instructor: Paul Garofalo (incoming August 7th). This course meets MWF 12:20 – 1:10 p.m. in PE 2080.

In this course we will focus on contemporary moral issues raised by people’s individual choices and their effects on themselves and others in three different areas—paternalistic interferences, social media, and sex work. We will address questions such as: Is it valuable to allow individuals to make choices that harm themselves? When (and how) may people interfere in other’s self-regarding choices? How does the structure of social media create patterns of harmful interactions (e.g. misinformation, polarization)? Can individuals solve these problems through their own choices? Or must others (e.g. the government, social media companies) intervene? Is there anything problematic about the relationship between sex workers and their clients? What is the effect of different legal responses to sex work? This course will focus on developing the philosophical skills necessary to think about these kinds of questions so that students can critically assess different views on these topics, including their own.

Have registration questions? Our PPE Administrators can help! Please email them at ppeprogram@unc.edu for assistance.