Aims

By the end of the course the student will be able
to analyse ethical questions on the ground of a good knowledge of moral philosophy;
to take into account aspects discussed in recent publications;
to develop a personnel judgement and a critical distance in dealing with debates in moral philosophy and neighbour disciplines.

Main themes

In order to attain the goals the course is based on the professor's current research activities in connection with international networks of research. The content changes every year.

Content and teaching methods

Content changes each year.
Content in 2001-2002 :
Ethics in the face of systemic complexity
Systemic approaches in the modern sciences are considered as putting individual responsibility into question. This course attempts to respond to the challenges emerging as a result of systematism in 20th Century scientific culture. Lectures will take their inspiration from the debate between the theory of communicatve action (Habermas) and the theory of social systems (Luhmann). We will also go beyond the framework of a German philosophical quarrel in view of a more international reflection on the relationship between ethics, epistemology, and philosophy of science.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Pré-requisites :
Introductory and intermediate ethics courses (1st and 2nd cycle).

Assessment :
Paper on a topic dealt with during the course and active participation in the course as a whole.

Other credits in programs