Time Schedule:
Stephen M. Gardiner
PHIL 401
Seattle Campus
A study of philosophical topics at the advanced level. Topics vary.
Class description
In her seminal essay, ‘Modern Moral Philosophy’ Elizabeth Anscombe voiced some major dissatisfactions with the contemporary debate in ethical theory and advocated a return to the approach to ethics put forward by the Ancient Greek philosophers, and Aristotle in particular. Anscombe’s complaints and her positive suggestion have since spawned a contemporary revival of “virtue ethics”. In this class, we will consider the reasons for the revival, the theoretical features thought to be characteristic of virtue ethics, its alleged advantages, and some major criticisms. TEXTS: Virtue Ethics, Roger Crisp and Michael Slote, eds.; On Virtue Ethics, Rosalind Hursthouse; Virtue Ethics, Old and New, Stephen Gardiner, ed.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
