PHIL 160.001 – Virtue, Value, and Happiness: An Introduction to Moral Theory

Instructor: Nevin Johnson. This course meets MWF 9:05 – 9:55 a.m. in GA 007.

Ethical theories set out to provide a systematic or guiding answer to the question of how we should live our lives. These theories tell us not just how we should live our lives, but why we should live them this way. This course will provide students with an understanding of the main ethical theories (e.g., utilitarianism, Kantianism, and virtue theory). After examining these general theories, the course will turn to applied ethical and social/political issues, like immigration, the value of the environment, gun control, oppression, and drug decriminalization.

Required text: Shafer-Landau, The Ethical Life: Fundamental Readings in Ethics and Moral Problems (Oxford University Press: 2020, fifth edition).

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