Instructor: Richard Lee (Office hours)
Course number: Philosophy 3923H / Philosophy 5983
Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays: 12:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Room: MAIN 324

Brief Description:

T. M. Scanlon's recent book What We Owe Each Other attempts an account of morality (or much of it, at least) from the ground up. This new book explores the nature of reasons and value before moving into development of a contractualist theory of moral wrongness. Scanlon looks at the nature of moral responsibility and the obligations of promises before addressing moral relativism. This graduate seminar / honors colloquium will follow Scanlon's treatment of these issues, using his book at the main text while supplementing Scanlon's writings with works from other perspectives. Students will thus be exposed to a contemporary cohesive theory of the main aspects of morality while covering the important issues of reasons, value, utilitarianism, obligation, and relativism.

• T. M. Scanlon, What We Owe to Each Other (Belknap, 1998)
• Various, readings on reserve

Other information:

• Requirements (forthcoming)
• Important Dates (forthcoming)
• Policies
• Schedule of Topics and Readings
• Office Hours
• Topics for Brief Papers
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