History of Ethics. Central Questions in Ethical Theory: Sidgwick and Alternatives

Undergrads enroll in PHIL 136. The main - but not exclusive - focus of this course will be one book: Henry Sidgwick's The Methods of Ethics, first published in 1874. This is one of the most careful, systematic, and influential defences of utilitarianism - the view that an action is morally right if and only if, and because, it produces the best consequences for all those affected by it. (This is a rough statement of utilitarianism; we will see how and why it needs to be refined as we go along.) For further details see the Canvas page.