The module aims to give students a critical understanding of some of the main theories and debates in contemporary philosophical ethics.

Ethical enquiry addresses a number of related questions, including: ‘How should one live?’, ‘What is a good life?’, ‘What should we do if self-interest and morality conflict?’, ‘What actions are morally right and wrong?’, ‘What duties do we have to others?’. Ethical theories attempt to provide answers to such questions, and to justify these answers in a rigorous and systematic way. The module examines some of the main theories and debates in contemporary philosophical ethics––but it also considers various sceptical views about seeking a theory for ethics.

• demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of some main views and debates within and about contemporary ethical theory.
• demonstrate abilities to read and to critically evaluate recent work in philosophical ethics.

Teaching will be through a combination of lectures and seminars. Students will be expected to have read selected articles or book-chapters prior to seminars, to have critically evaluated these readings, and be able to discuss them.

The module will be taught using printed books and/or a printed course reader, supplemented by books and journal articles available from the library and/or online.

Timetabled sessions will be supplemented with written material in the form of a summary of the content of the sessions, questions for discussion, and a list of further reading. This supplementary material will be provided in printed form and on Learning Central, and on the board during sessions. Supplementary material in a permanent form will be made available at the beginning of the module (main module info, including topics and readings), or at least 24 hours before the session (handouts and/or PowerPoint slides on Learning Central).

Images, diagrams, sound, video or other multimedia resources will not be used in this module.

Intellectual Skills:

• the ability to interpret texts
• the ability to appraise and assess arguments
• the ability to reach conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of arguments, and to justify these conclusions with sound reasoning and detailed interpretations of source material
• the ability to form a consistent position about questions raised in the module

 Discipline Specific Skills:

• the ability to analyse and construct philosophical arguments
• the ability to interpret philosophical texts

Transferable / Employability Skills:

It is worth bearing in mind that, even though the point of the module is to do philosophy, many of the skills you’ll be developing are also highly valued by graduate employers. These include:

• Critical Thinking: e.g. the ability to understand, structure and critically evaluate the key points and arguments made in written texts and discussions––achieved through e.g. reading, small group activities in lectures and seminars, plenary discussions in seminars, reflecting on lecture materials, essay and exam preparation and writing.
• Communication: the ability to formulate and articulate your critical thinking, both orally and on paper, in ways that others can grasp and engage with––achieved through e.g. small group work in seminars, seminar discussions, essay/exam writing.
• Organisation: the ability to organise and coordinate workloads––achieved through balancing e.g. reading, seminar preparation, essay/exam preparation.
• Working with others: e.g. co-constructing ideas, responding sensitively to others––achieved through e.g. small group work in seminars, group presentations.

The module is assessed by one essay (of not more than 2,000 words) and an exam. The module is assessed according to the Marking Criteria set out in the Philosophy Course Guide. There are otherwise no academic or competence standards which limit the availability of adjustments or alternative assessments for students with disabilities.

The module critically examines some of the main theories and debates in contemporary philosophical ethics, plus some sceptical views about ethical theory. Specific topics typically include: contemporary consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics, as well as debates between proponents of these positions; anti-theory in ethics.

Indicative content (the following indicates likely topics and core readings – please note that these are indicative and could change):

1. Introduction.

2. Contractarianism.

Core Reading: David Gauthier: ‘Why Contractarianism?’, in James Rachels (ed.), Ethical Theory 2: Theories About How We Should Live (Oxford: Oxford University Press 1998).

3. Consequentialism: Direct Act-Consequentialism.

Core Reading: Bernard Williams: ‘Consequentialism and Integrity’, as excerpted in S. Scheffler (ed.), Consequentialism and Its Critics (Oxford: Oxford University Press 1988), pp.20–50.

4. Consequentialism: Indirect Act-Conseq. Core Reading:

Peter Railton: ‘Alienation, Consequentialism, and the Demands of Morality’, Philosophy and Public Affairs 13 (1984): 134–71.

5. Consequentialism: Rule-Consequentialism.

Core Reading: Brad Hooker: ‘Rule-Consequentialism’, ch.10 in H. La Follette (ed.), Blackwell Guide to Ethical Theory (Oxford: Blackwell 1999), pp.183–204.

6. Deontology: Contractualism.

Core Reading: T.M. Scanlon: ‘Contractualism and Utilitarianism’, in A. Sen & B. Williams, Utilitarianism and Beyond (Cambridge University Press 1982), pp.3-29.

7.  Deontology: Monism, Pluralism, Particularism.

Core Reading: Jonathan Dancy: ‘An Unprincipled Morality’, Ch.80 in R. Shafer-Landau (ed.): Ethical Theory: An Anthology (Oxford: Blackwell 2013, 2^nd ed.), pp.772–5.

8. Consequentialism vs. Deontology: Aggregation.

Core Reading: John Taurek: ‘Should the Numbers Count?’, Philosophy and Public Affairs 6 (1977): 293–316.

9. Virtue Ethics.

Core Reading: Julia Annas: ‘Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Thing’, Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 78 (2004): 61–75.

10. Anti-Theory.

Core Reading: Simon Robertson: ‘Anti-Theory’, forthcoming in The Cambridge History of Moral Philosophy, ed. S. Golob & J. Timmermann, Cambridge University Press.

The module is likely to use a Course Reader. This would contain all core readings as outlined under Syllabus Content (core readings will provide the primary focus for seminars), as well as some background and further readings. Students are expected to read beyond the Course Reader. A full list of readings will be made available to students at the beginning of the semester the module is taught.

A full list of readings will be made available to students at the beginning of the semester the module is taught. Readings on many of the module’s topics can be found in: Russ Shafer-Landau (ed.), Ethical Theory: An Anthology (2^nd ed.), Oxford: Blackwell, 2012.

Background reading for many of the module’s topics can be found in the following introduction: Russ Shafer-Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.