Nov 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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PHIL 3380 - Ethics: Morality, Self-Interest, and Justice

Credits: 3

Explores issues in normative ethical and political theory, with a particular emphasis on morality, self-interest, and justice. Topics vary, but the following are representative. Might enlightened self-interest be the basis of morality? Is a morally right action one that maximizes overall happiness or well-being, or are there moral rights or duties that prohibit the sacrifice of individuals or their interests for the sake of the greater good? Does individual well-being (or self-interest) consist of pleasure and freedom from pain? Do our subjective interests (our desires or preferences) determine what is ultimately best for us, or are there desire-independent goods, such as knowledge or moral virtue? To what extent, if any, does justice permit inequality of income or wealth? Do individuals have “natural” rights that prohibit the state from using certain means (e.g., taxes and transfers) to promote greater social welfare or less economic inequality?


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