Ethics and Social Philosophy

The course includes two sections, ethics and social philosophy. (a) The ethics section provides an introduction to the most important moral theories such as virtue ethics, utilitarianism, deontological ethics, and value criticism. It covers debates on key concepts and views such as liberty, rights and duties, free will and determinism, and moral responsibility. (b) The social philosophy section provides an introduction to the history of social and political philosophy (e.g. Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Rousseau, Hegel, Smith, and Marx), and an overview of contemporary debates. It addresses questions such as: What is the role of individuals and communities in society? How is identity understood as a political category? What is the role of groups such as race, gender, or class based groups in social philosophy? How wealth and ownership are understood in social philosophy? What challenges do environmental issues and modern technologies pose for social and political philosophy? What is the role of local communities in global economy and political system?