Welcome Course Description Part of the mission and one of the objectives of Rocky Mountain College is to recognize and explore ethical issues. In view of this mission and objective, this course will undertake a rigorous and vigorous philosophical examination of ethics. Yet, multiculturalism, feminism, environmentalism, and technology confront these classical Western approaches to ethics with issues that at times challenge the very basis of these approaches. Environmental ethics, for instance, may be limited to anthropocentric approaches if it merely extended already existing ethical theories to nature. At least one contemporary theorist has said that hyperreality, that is, the kind of virtual reality paradigmatically provided by computers, is immune from traditional theories of ethics.
Traditional theories have nothing to say about whether it is good or bad.
Feminist and multiculturalists have demonstrated, at the very least, that the Western approaches often fail to honor other ethical voices. We will examine several of these critiques and alternatives found in James Sterba's Ethics . However, simply rejecting the traditional ethical theories would be a mistake. Rather understanding the depth, complexity, and strength of Western ethical theories is as crucial as understanding their limitations. If we are to respond intelligently, resourcefully, and imaginatively to the ethical challenges we face, we will need to become conversant with our heritage.