2023-2024

This course introduces students to philosophy through fundamental questions and concepts regarding moral (and other) values, the nature of justice, and living with others in society. Students will encounter works by philosophers throughout history, including Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Mill, and de Beauvoir, as well as contemporary philosophers from global perspectives. Students will examine key philosophical questions such as: What constitutes a good life? How should we live? What is the value of the philosophical life? Should we seek happiness or pleasure above truth or knowledge? What makes acts good or bad? How can we know what is the right thing to do? Is there such a thing as objectively right and wrong, or is it relative? Are humans naturally good or evil? What obligations do we have to ourselves and each other? What makes a society just? How should society be organized? Are humans better off with or without a ruler? Are inequalities among members of society inevitable? Additionally, the course will also address some of the contemporary ethical issues, including our relationship with the ecosystems, species, non-human animals, and AI systems.  Through engaging with primary and supplementary philosophical texts and contexts, students will develop skills in argumentation, rhetorical analysis, and critical thinking, reading, and writing.