Introduction to Moral Philosophy

What makes an action right or wrong? And do we know whether an action is right or wrong? In this course, we will survey the major traditions in moral philosophy: consequentialism, Kantian ethics, virtue theory, and feminist and care ethics. We will put each theory to work with real-life moral dilemmas. We will also assess whether and how socio-political questions related to gender, race, class, and disability bear on moral theory, which tends to focus on interpersonal relationships. Questions include: Who gets the ventilator at the hospital when there are not enough? May a state torture someone to avert a catastrophe? When is sexual desire an impermissible form of objectification? Is anger a vice, or the fitting response to injustice? Who should do the work of caring, and who should pay for it? What, if anything, is owed for a historical injustice inflicted on previous generations?