PHIL 3441 - [History of Ethics: Modern]

(HB) (KCM-AS)

Spring. 4 credits.

Next offered 2014-2015.

E. Taylor.

What is a moral theory? How does a moral theory differ from a random list of prohibitions backed by social sanctions? What makes one moral theory better than another? In what sense, if any, are moral judgments objective? Are judgments of moral right and wrong merely based on our emotions? In this course we will examine answers to these questions put forth by two of the most important and influential moral philosophers in the modern age, Immanuel Kant and Henry Sidgwick. In addition, this course provides an in-depth introduction to the canonical defenses of deontological (Kant) and utilitarian (Sidgwick) theories of morality through an examination of the primary texts.