Philosophy 290-8

This course aims to provide a “graduate level introduction” to contemporary moral philosophy. That is, it is intended to supply students with little or no prior philosophical background with a working knowledge of major themes and debates in moral philosophy. It takes its organizing theme the topic of claims of moral, political, and legal rights, and looks to how deontological (Kantian) and consequentialist (Mill’s utilitarianism) theories can support or limit those claims. In this part of the seminar, we will move back and forth between concrete examples of rights (for example, rights against torture, and rights to free speech), and more abstract treatments in both the classical and contemporary canonical literature. We will also take up questions of moral knowledge and the relevance of perspective (including gendered perspectives).