This biannual course is taught on years 2015-2016, 2017-2018, ....
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The course requires an introduction to moral philosophy at the bachelor level and a good reading knowledge of English.
In order to attain the objectives that have been set, the course will concentrate each year on a different theme that will allow the relationships between different orientations in philosophical ethics to be seen - concrete issues of "applied" ethics and methodological reflection. The conceptual analysis will be accompanied by case studies.
By the end of the course the student shall be able
- to analyse selected topics in the field of moral philosophy;
- to develop a well argued point of view, taking a position relative to various approaches to ethics;
- to use appropriately the tools of research in philosophy and in interdisciplinary collaboration.
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
The elements of evaluation are the regular and active participation, the writing of a short essay (maximum 5 pages on a subject that can be chosen among the topics of the course) and an oral exam.
There will be lectures and important interactive moments based on texts that have to be read by all participants. French will be the working language of this course.
Experimental moral philosophy
The tension between ethical reflection and empirical research, for example in psychology, can be found in great parts of the history of moral philosophy. The course intends to reconstruct questions concerning the role of intuitions, thought experiments, the relations between facts and values, etc. Il will present current contributions to a new approach called 'experimental moral philosophy' and will particularly focus on the articulation of theoretical aspects and practical challenges in applied ethics.
Some texts will be available on Moodle. You can find an introduction to the topic in Ruwen Ogien, L'influence de l'odeur des croissants chauds sur la bonté humaine et autres questions de philosophie morale expérimentale, Paris, Grasset, 2011; Kwame Anthony Appiah, Experiments in Ethics, Cambridge/Mass., Havard University Press, 2008.
The course starts on Monday, 21-09-2015. The professor's office hours are every Monday between 13:30 and 15:00. Office d175 (Collège Descamps, Grand-Place 45).
