10059 - Moral Philosophy (1)

Learning outcomes

This course will mainly address issues in applied ethics. At the end of the course students will be expected to grasp the distinction of individual and public ethics; to know the chief lines of recent debates in this field; to appreciate the relations between various approaches in moral philosophy (normative, virtue and care ethics); to understand the multiple connections between moral reflection and cultural studies, political science, and humanities. Students shall be able to make sense of the relevant literature and to properly use the technical language of this field, and they will have studied in depth at least one topic in applied ethics and the seminal texts related to it.

Course contents

This module is an introduction to Aristotle’s moral psychology. We will closely examine the Nicomachean Ethics and, by discussing the central issue of how one becomes a morally virtuous person, we will gain some insights into Aristotle’s ideas on character and moral development.

Readings/Bibliography

Mandatory reading:

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics. Translation, introduction, and commentary, edited by Sarah Broadie and Christopher Rowe, Oxford University Press 2002.

Aristotle, History of Animals. Books 7-10, edited and translated by D.M. Balme, Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1991: Books VII (Gaza VIII) and Book VIII (Gaza IX).

 

Suggested reading (non-mandatory):

Mariska Leunissen, From Natural Character to Moral Virtue in Aristotle, OUP 2017.

John McDowell (2007) What Myth?, Inquiry, 50:4, 338-351.

Hubert L. Dreyfus (2007) The Return of the Myth of the Mental , Inquiry, 50:4, 352-36.

John McDowell (2007) Response to Dreyfus, Inquiry, 50:4, 366-370.

Hubert L. Dreyfus (2007) Response to McDowell, Inquiry, 50:4, 371-377.

Teaching methods

Lectures.

Assessment methods

Viva voce examination.

Grades will be distributed as follows: active participation during classes (20%), final examination (80%).

 

Office hours

See the website of Pia Campeggiani