Moral Philosophy

What are we required to do? Who are we required to be? And why are we required to do these things or be these types of people? Moral theories attempt to systematically answer these questions. In this course, we will examine the most promising theories, evaluating each for their strengths and weaknesses.

A different way of putting it: In this course, we will survey philosophers' failures at locating a plausible moral theory. The best way to devise a plausible moral theory is by starting with ideas that seem to lie at the heart of morality and then seeing if they can provide systematic and plausible answers to our moral questions. Some think that making the world as good as you can lies at the heart of morality. Some think giving people the respect they deserve lies at the heart of morality. Some think that being a good person lies at the heart of morality. The problem I hope to make vivid in this class is that, if we use any of these ideas as a systematic answer to our moral questions, the results are unsatisfying. We have yet to locate a plausible moral theory.