Philosophical Ethics (BFILE - 2021 - ZS) - English version
Osnova sekce
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KFI/NFILE
4 ECTS Credits
Tomáš Machula
The main aim of the lecture is to introduce the most important problems and traditions in philosophical ethics.
The student will know basic concepts and theories in Ethics. He/she is able to work with various contexts and approaches to moral discussions. He/she is able to apply general laws and approaches to particular cases.
Lectures
1. The concept of Ethics
2. The concept of Good
3. A Goal of human life
4. Utilitarianism
5. Deontology and Law Ethics
6. Natural law in Antiquity and Middle Ages
7. Natural law in Modern Age
8. Conscience
9. Classical concept of virtues
10. The role of emotions in morality
11. Cardinal and infused virtues
12. Theory and Praxis
Literature
Basic
Rachels, J., The Elements of Moral Philosophy, New York 2012.
(overall summary of basic ethical concepts, moral systems and theories)
Darwall, S., Philosophical Ethics, Boulder – Oxford 1998.
(extensive introduction to the subject; very well worked out the chapters on metaethics, Mill, Kant and Aristotle)
Williams, B., Morality. An Introduction to Ethics, Cambridge 1993.
(very useful basic introduction; except utilitarianism the topics are not treated very extensively and in detail)
Additional
Introductions to history of ethics and systematic treatises on ethics
Oderberg, D., Moral Theory. A Non-Consequentialist Approach, Oxford 2000.
Cohen, G. A., Lectures on the History of Moral and Political Philosophy, Princeton – Oxford 2014.
Brooks, T. Ethics and Moral Philosophy. Leiden – Boston, 2011.
Dreier, J. (ed.), Contemporary Debates in Moral Theory, Oxford 2006.
Brooks, T. Ethics and Moral Philosophy. Leiden – Boston, 2011.
Deeper introduction to utilitarianism
Smart J.J.C., Williams, B., Utilitarianism. For and Against, Cambridge 1998.
Deeper introduction to Kant’s ethics
Uleman, J. K., An Introduction to Kant’s Moral Philosophy, Cambridge 2010.
Deeper introduction to the natural law ethics
Cherry, M. J., Natural Law and the Possibility of a Global Ethics, New York 2004.
Deeper introduction to the virtue ethics
Carr, D., Steutel, J., Virtue Ethics and Moral Education, London – New York 2005.
O’Keefe, M., Virtues Abounding, Eugene, OR. 2019.
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Structure
- object of ethics
- divison of ethical disciplines
- morality and ethics
- ethics and other sciences and disciplines
- basic ethical theories
Questions
- What is ethics?
- Describe the relatonship of morality and ethics.
- Describe the relationship of ethics and other disciplines.
- What is the main goal of ethics?
- How much certainty it is possible to reach in ethics?
- What is a metaethics, normative ethics and descriptive ethics?
- What is a difference among deontology, consequentialism and virtue ethics?
- object of ethics
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Structure
- good
- intuitionism
- emotivism
- decisionism
- Hume's law
- naturalistic fallacy
- values
- evil
Questions- Define good and evil
- Describe cognitivist and non-cognitivist streams of analytical ethics.
- What is a difference of "good" and other predicates?
- What is naturalistic fallacy?
- How it is possible to argue against the Hume's law?
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Structure
- eudaimonis (Aristotle, Aquinas)
- hedonism (Epikuros)
- contemporary discussion of a goal of life
- evolution ethics
Questions- What is a happiness and what forms of happines do we have in ethics?
- The main philosophers who argue for and against eudaimonism and hedonism.
- Alternatives of eudaimonism and hedonism.
- Describe the teleologic and non-teleologic approach in ethics.
- What is the essence of evolution ethics?
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Structure
- teleologism and deontologism
- utilitarianism
- principles of utilitarianism
- quantitative and qualitative hedonism in the utilitarianism
- situation ethics
Questions
- What is a difference between teleology and deontology?
- Describe utilitarianism.
- What is a difference between qualitative and quantitative utilitarianism?
- Weaknesses of utilitarianism?
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Structure
- norm
- Kant's ethics
- categorical and hypothetical imperative
- forms of Kant's categorical imperative
- autonomous and heterogenous ethics
Questions- Define a norm and a law.
- What is a difference between hypothetical and categorical imperative?
- What are two most important forms of Kant's categorical imperative?
- Weaknesses of Kant's ethics.
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Structure
- Stoic concept of natural law
- natural and positive norms
- Thomistic concept of natural law
- basic goods
- properties of natural law
Questions- What is nature?
- Where is teleology in the concept of natural law?
- Examples of positive and natural norms.
- What is the difference between Stoic and Thomistic concept of natural law?
- What is a basic good (basic value)?
- Define natural law.
- What is the difference between natural law and natural right?
- Stoic concept of natural law
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Structure
- voluntarism and nominalism in ethics
- ethical challegnes of Modern era
- Scholastic theories and Ius gentium
- Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau on natural law
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Structure
- conscience
- epikeia
- docetrine of double effect
Questions- What is a conscience?
- Denitionos of conscience - metaphorical and systematic.
- Conscience before and after action.
- What is narrow and wide conscience?
- What is epikeia?
- What is the doctrine of double effect? Examples.
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- definition of virtue
- bodily, intellectual and moral virtues
- virtues in Antuqity, Homer, Plato, Aristotle.
Questions- At least two examples of a virtue
- How Plato describes virtue in his Republic.
- Aristotle's system of virtues.
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Structure
- Platonic, Aristoteliand and Stoic concept
- typology of emotions
- cultivation of emotions by virtues
- Platonic, Aristoteliand and Stoic concept
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Structure
- acquired and infused virtues
- psychology and virtues
- cardinal virtues
Questions- How do we acquire virtues?
- Describe the basic characteristics of the Medieval concept of virtues .
- acquired and infused virtues
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Structure
- virtues as a key concept of ethics
- practical nature of ethics
- justice
- political meaning of virtue
Questions- What are differences among soscial, distributive, legal and commutative justice?
- Modern theories of justice
- Compare virtue ethics and other streams of ethics
- virtues as a key concept of ethics