Courses of Study 2013-2014 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Courses of Study 2013-2014 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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PHIL 4410 - Topics in Ethics and Value Theory


(KCM-AS)


Fall, spring. 4 credits.

Spring: Co-meets with PHIL 6410 .

Fall, E. Taylor; spring, K. Manne.

Fall Topic: Freedom and Commitment: The normativity of consent in politics, law, and medicine.

Most of us think that a government’s legitimate authority depends in some way on the consent of those who are governed; that intrusive medical procedures are morally wrong without the consent of the patient; and that the parties to a valid legal contract must agree on or consent to the terms of that contract.   However, it is not always clear what counts as consent in each of these areas. Can you consent to your government even when you have no other options? Can you consent to a medical procedure without fully knowing the consequences? Can you consent to contractual terms that are known to be grossly unfair or exploitative? The answers to these questions depend on the moral significance of freedom and what conditions must be satisfied in order to be free.
This is a survey course that explores the competing conceptions of freedom that underwrite the normativity of consent in political philosophy, law, and medicine. By the end of the course students should be able to 1) identify competing conceptions of freedom that underwrite prominent arguments in the areas discussed and 2) evaluate these underlying conceptions.

Spring Topic: Topics in Ethical Theory.

Advanced seminar covering a topic in ethics and value theory.



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