This biannual course is taught on years 2014-2015, 2016-2017, ...
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. English will be the working language of this course.
Ethics and the Difficulties of Communication about Values
Moral philosophy is about norms and values. But when it comes to philosophical investigation about values, things use to be rather controversial and represent a wide range of ethical approaches. The course suggests a critical overview of concepts of values and is particularly inspired by Hans Joas, The Genesis of Values (1997), The University of Chicago Press 2000, and is methodologically situated the perspective of pragmatism. Fundamental questions will be combined with case studies in applied ethics.
A selection of texts will be available on Moodle.
The course starts on Monday, 19-09-2016. The professor's office hours are every Monday between 13:30 and 15:00 (Collège Descamps, Grand-Place 45, d175).
