Note: This course will be taught in English!
Seminar: Virtue & Natural Goodness
Do we have reasons to act morally, i.e., is it rational to act ethically well---even though at times, doing the right thing might be against our self-interest? This is one of the main questions with which Philippa Foot, one of the most prominent moral philosophers of the 20th century, was concerned throughout her career. In her book Natural Goodness (2001), Foot in the end argues that human nature provides reasons to do what morality requires. Her theory is a modern articulation of a broadly Arisotelean virtue ethics, according to which there is a close connection between happiness and the good life, on the one hand, and virtuous character traits such as honesty and courage, on the other. In this seminar, we will study a number of texts (by Foot and others) which set out the problem concerning the rationality of morality, and finally turn to Foot's solution in Natural Goodness.
Übung: Virtue & Natural Goodness
This Übung can only be followed in conjunction with the seminar of the same name. The focus of the *Übung* will be to practice writing, presentation, and discussion skills. In addition to the seminar texts, we will also use texts on normative ethics (by Foot and others in the modern virtue-ethical tradition), concerning a variety of ethical debates, as a basis for the presentations and discussion.
- Trainer/in: Dawa Ometto