ETHICS

In deciding how to act, we frequently guide ourselves by general principles, which forbid or require various kinds of action. Moral philosophy is the attempt to systematically explore a number of questions which arise in connection with such principles. We may ask, for example: What is it for a principle to be a moral principle? Is there one uniquely correct moral code, or is morality a matter of personal preference? What candidates for moral principles can be defended? Why should I be moral? This course will examine several of these questions and the answers suggested by classic moral philosophers such as Kant and Mill.