|
The aim of this Topics Seminar is for the participating student (1) to gain a thorough understanding of the primary texts for the course and a familiarity with the current debates in the philosophical literature on this topic; (2) to appreciate the arguments for and against the positions; and (3) to develop an independent judgment about the most promising approach in this area.
|
|
This “Topics Seminar” explores in depth issues and texts in the area of ethical theory, including normative ethics, meta-ethics, and the foundations of moral judgment.
The topic for 2019-2020 is: Why care about the future and the past?
What morally relevant reasons do we have to care about how future people will do, and about what happened, and was done, to people who are no longer alive now? Such reasons can have to do with what future people are owed (morally speaking), and with what the descendants of people who are now dead --or perhaps also the dead themselves-- are owed, among other things because of wrongs in the past such as slavery and colonial exploitation. But these reasons can also have to do, more broadly, with what we value, and with how we understand ourselves and our place in the world.
In this course we will discuss various reasons and examine their tenability and importance. We will consider authors such as Thomas Nagel, Samuel Scheffler, Derek Parfit, and Bernard Williams. The primary emphasis of the course will be on reasons to care about future people, but we will also consider the past.
NB: Although some of the material covered in the course will be highly relevant to applied issues to do with, for example, climate change, this course is about exploring theoretical arguments and foundations rather than about application. All students from programmes other than the Research Master Philosophy need to contact the teacher to get permission to participate, and they will only get permission if their background in philosophy is sufficient.
|
|
 |
|
This course is for Students History and Philosophy of Science, RMA Philosophy. Students of other MA-programmes, please contact the Course Coordinator.
The entrance requirements for Exchange Students will be checked by International Office and the Programme coördinator. Therefore, you do not have to contact the Programme coördinator yourself.
|
|