Time Schedule:
William J. Talbott
PHIL 510
Seattle Campus
Class description
Habermas's discourse ethics is one of the most influential normative moral and political theories of the past fifty years. According to Habermas, if we understand the nature of moral inquiry as a social process of communication, understanding that process can both provide us with universal (in a sense to be explored) moral norms and with an understanding of the metaphysics and epistemology of moral judgment. The goal of the course is to understand and critically evaluate Habermas's own view and to see how it supports Habermas's influential criticism of Rawls's Political Liberalism. Each student will do a seminar presentation, a short discussion paper, and a term paper. It is not required, but it will be useful, to have some familiarity with John Rawls, Political Liberalism.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
