Současné etické systémy 1 (SES1 - 2019 - ZS)
Osnova sekce
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Tento výstup lze užít v souladu s licenčními podmínkami Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 International
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode).
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Organization of studies
The course is taught in the form of a lecture (2 hours per week), which has two components: a monologic component (explanation, lecture, briefing) and a dialogical component (discussion, interview, brainstorming). Both components are intertwined during studies, they are not separated in blocks. Student participation is not required, but recommended. Active participation of students in the form of questions and suggestions is welcome. For each lesson there is a room for discussion, clarification of inaccuracies, etc. The teacher can be consulted during the consultation hours or by sending an e-mail.
Individual work of student (control of self-study)
Together with the lectures, the student is obliged to study one of the books listed in the list of compulsory literature. Independent study of additional literature according to the survey is recommended and expected. Self-study contributes to a better and deeper grasp of the subject matter. Control of self-study consists of oral examination of knowledge in the range of prescribed topics and above all in an interview about the content of the selected book.
Overview of study literature and other study aids
Compulsory basic study literature:
Kant, Immanuel, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. New York: Cambridge University Press 1997.
Mill John Stuart, Utilitarianism. Indianapolis, Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company 22001.
Levinas, Emmanuel, Totality and Infinity. An Essay on Exteriority. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishing 1979.
Fletcher, Joseph, Situation Ethics: The New Morality. Philadelphia: Westminster Press 1966.
Held, Virginia, The Ethics of Care: Personal, Political, and Global. New York: Oxford University Press 2006.
Taylor, Charles, The Ethics of Authenticity. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press 1991.
Tugendhat, Ernst, Vorlesungen über Ethik. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp 1993.
Debate on the book:
Kant, Immanuel, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. New York: Cambridge University Press 1997.
Mill John Stuart, Utilitarianism. Indianapolis, Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company 22001.
Recommended additional study literature:
Quinton, Anthony, Utilitarian Ethics. La Salle: Open Court 1989.
Sandel, Michael, Justice. What’s the Right Thing to Do? New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2009; www.justiceharvard.org.
Forst, Rainer: The Right to Justification: Elements of a Constructivist Theory of Justice. New York, Columbia University Press 2012.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy https://plato.stanford.edu/.
Course completion: oral exam
The final oral exam has two parts. Firstly, it consists in verifying the knowledge in the range of topics presented. During the exam, the knowledge of basic ethical concepts and the ability of the student are verified, characterizing theories of deontological and utilitarian ethics and at the same time pointing out their advantages and their limits. Secondly, the examination consists of a discussion on the chosen book, which is an essential part of the examination. The conversation about the book verifies the knowledge of the content of the book and the independent reflection of the issue. The regular and corrective dates of examinations and their organization are announced according to the Study and Examination Regulations of the JU and related measures of the Dean of the TF (the documents are published on the website of the Faculty, section Study and Official Board).
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1. Introduction to the critical philosophy of I. Kant
2. Kant's concept of ethics
3. An unconditional moral law / categorical imperative
4. Freedom of will
5. Happiness and morality
6. Highest good
7. Radical evil
8. Morality leads to religionThe theme of the deontological ethical concept of Immanuel Kant is the most extensive and complex subject of the course. Since this is the most influential ethical concept of modern times, it receives the greatest attention throughout the semester. The explanation seeks to follow thematically: first, the overall concept of critical, transcendental philosophy is presented and the way Kant approaches the issues of practical philosophy and morality is shown. Subsequently, the most important concepts of Kant's ethical concept are explained: moral law, freedom of will, happiness, etc. Emphasis is placed on understanding the fundamental importance of the factual morality of the moral law and the concept of man as an end in itself. The theme of radical evil forms the transition to the final part of this thematic part and shows how Kant's concept of morality results in the philosophy of religion. The lecture attempts to immanently interpret the original texts (especially the works of Groundwork of Metaphysics of Morals) with the aim of explaining the main points of Kant's concept and showing their interdependence.
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9. The concept of happiness
10. Bliss (eudaimonia) as the last goal; the way of achieving bliss
11. The concept of virtue and its types
12. Historical overview of utilitarianism
13. Basic principles of utilitarianismSince utilitarianism works with the central notion of happiness, the introductory part of the lecture is devoted to a general reflection of the notion of happiness, based on the ancient differentiation of different kinds of happiness (eutychia, eudaimonia, makariotes). In the second part, Aristotle's central concept of bliss is thematized as the last goal of all human relation. Aristotle distinguishes three paths to eudaimonia: the life of sense gratification, the political life, and the philosophical life. The highest path is represented by the philosophical life of seeing the divine being. In the final part, the interpretation is focused on the characteristics of the concept of virtue and its types. Examples of particular virtues, such as bravery or rationality, conclude the interpretation.
In the first part of the utilitarianism, utilitarian theories are presented in their historical development. Emphasis is placed on illuminating the initial concept of J. Bentham and its development in the classic work Utilitarianism by J. S. Mill. Again, the notion of happiness and the question of how to measure and evaluate this sought happiness play a central role. The second part focuses on explaining the basic principles of utilitarianism, especially the principle of utility. The explanation is concluded by a practical exercise of the so-called 'hedonistic calculus', which each listener carries out for himself and which is then discussed with others. The course also includes a joint viewing and discussion on lectures by Michal Sandel (justiceharvard.org), focusing on the issue of justice with an emphasis on solving and discussing ethical dilemmas. -
14. The concept of the Other in the thought of E. Levinas, the phenomenon of face and regard
The next part of the lecture will present two examples of ethical thinking of 20th century philosophy. The first is the phenomenological ethics of Emmanuel Levinas, which he develops from a fundamental 'Self-Other' relationship based on the phenomenon of face and regard. Levinas does not create an ethical systém, but he seeks to capture the source of morality as such, which he sees in an intersubjective ethical relationship.
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15. Tugendhat plausible concept of universal respect
Tugendhat's attempt at original, universalist morality is based on the interpretation of original texts and is inspired primarily by Kant's concept. Although Tugendhat rejects Kant's absolute rationale for morality, in his concept of universal respect he nevertheless follows primarily one of the formulations of Kant's categorical imperative.
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Ethics of Authenticity (Ch. Taylor), Situational Ethics (J. Fletcher) and The Ethics of Care (V. Held)
16. Characteristics of the ideal of authenticity and malaise of modernity (Ch. Taylor)
17. Basic features of situational ethics (J. Fletcher)
18. Care ethics and its critique of other ethical concepts (V. Held)
The final part of the lecture is devoted to several other examples of contemporary ethical concepts. Charles Taylor's ethics of authenticity is not normative, but descriptive ethics, analyzing the ideal of authentic life in modern societies of Euro-American civilization. The situational ethics of Joseph Fletcher is an example of Christian-inspired ethics, emphasizing the primacy of taking situational considerations before blindly applying abstract principles in ethically problematic situations. Finally, Virginia Held's ethics of care will be introduced, emphasizing the role of relationships, trust and emotions in ethics. However, some criticisms of ethics of care against other ethical concepts seem unfounded.