Four class hours per week. An examination of the ethical issues raised by such practices as abortion, euthanasia, birth control, life prolonging techniques, human experimentation, recombinant DNA research, and cloning. An examination of issues at the intersection of law and morality. Among possible topics are the legitimate limits of legal control of individuals, the relation of legal validity and moral value, the role of moral reasons in judicial decision making, and the nature of legal justice. Business Ethics An examination of the ethical problems encountered in business.
Attention is given, where possible, to noneuropean perspectives.
The beginnings of western philosophy. A study of the enduring philosophical issues in the works of Plato and Aristotle, with attention to their origins in pre-Socratic writings. Consideration will also be given to the development of Hellenistic thought and to the philosophical contributions of Augustine and Aquinas. A study of some of the most important attempts to formulate a systematic world-view consistent with modern science and its implications for an understanding of persons, knowledge and society. Focus will be on the work of Peirce, James, and Dewey, with some attention given to Royce, Santayana, Lewis, and Whitehead.