|
Lecturer(s)
|
-
Forsberg Anders Niklas, doc. Ph.D.
-
Pacovská Kamila, Mgr. Ph.D.
-
Jamieson Lesley Paige, Ph.D.
|
|
Course content
|
February 18 1. Introduction: Raising the Question about Relativism February 25 2. What the cock knows to do, the cock does: Cultural Relativism and Reasoning March 4 3. Moral, Cultural, and Religious Differences (Wittgenstein) March 11 4. Pragmatism March 18 5. The Truth in Relativism (Bernard Williams) March 25 6. Foundations for relativism David Velleman: April 1 7. Anti Anti-relativism (Clifford Geertz) April 8 8. Moral Progress (Moody-Adams) April 15 9. Forms of Life April 22 10. Truth in ethics (Cora Diamond) April 29 11. Moral Change (Lear and Cultural Devastation) May 6 12. Philosophical Anthropology May 13 13. Conceptual Renegotiations and Truth
|
|
Learning activities and teaching methods
|
- Contact teaching
- 26 hours per semester
- Preparation for an exam
- 64 hours per semester
- Home preparation for classes
- 60 hours per semester
|
|
Learning outcomes
|
This course explores questions of objectivity, subjectivity, truth, relativism, relativity, and historical change in morality. The first part of the course will introduce the main problem: Our most fundamental moral beliefs seem to vary and be susceptible to change. How are we to deal with the fact that ethico-political values differ from person to person, culture to culture, society to society, and epoch to epoch? This problem is also intimately connected with difficulties surrounding moral progress and moralism (since it calls our mandate to pass judgment into question). After that, we will study different forms of moral relativism as well as central efforts to defend moral objectivity in a changing world. Finally, we will explore some contemporary accounts of how to think clearly about moral change and differences that aim to avoid simplistic forms of relativism or na?ve objectivism Thus, this course gives an introduction to questions of relativism and objectivism in ethics and points out paths of contemporary inquiry that seek to mediate between these opposites. We will also reflect on the roles of relativist and objectivist insights in addressing contemporary moral questions and challenges. Each meeting is structured in this way: 60 minute lecture, followed by 30 minutes conversation. It is therefore important that the students have read the mandatory readings before each class. There are also "additional" readings listed. These are meant as resources for those who feel inclined to dig deeper into the difficulties at hand.
|
|
Prerequisites
|
unspecified
|
|
Assessment methods and criteria
|
unspecified
Course readings consist of articles and article-length excerpts from books. Details about readings pages from books will be provided later on.
|
|
Recommended literature
|
|