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

Instructor: Nevin Johnson. This course meets MTWRF 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in CW 105 via in-person (IP) instruction.

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 the student an understanding of the main ethical theories (e.g., utilitarianism, Kantianism, and virtue theory). After examining these theories, the course will turn to applied ethical and social/political issues, like immigration, the value of the environment, and drug decriminalization.

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