Philosophy, Ethics, and the Law

What’s ethically significant about being human, or about our identities as members of various social groups? What do we owe to animals, to ecosystems, to future generations, to AI, and how do our answers to these questions rely on theories of identity? How do social and political institutions and structures limit and enable who we are? How might we reimagine the boundaries of humanity to challenge oppressive and unjust power dynamics? In this course we will examine the origins and enduring justifications for core ethical beliefs, as well as challenges to the idea that there are universal ethical norms by exploring the emergence of different conceptions of humanity and human values from a wide range of globally diverse perspectives. While the course introduces students to many historically significant philosophical voices, most of our classes focus on applying philosophy to concrete contemporary ethical challenges, particularly in the areas of environmental ethics, data ethics, bioethics, and feminist ethics. Note: This course provides the foundations for, and is a prerequisite for, the Philosophy, Ethics and the Law concentration in the Arts & Humanities major. AH111 also counts toward the Minor in Sustainability because it addresses a broad range of environmental ethical topics, including food ethics, climate ethics, and environmental justice.

Normative ethics is the study of ethical systems that provide answers to the question of how one ought to act in situations of moral significance. Moral dilemmas involve choices between mutually exclusive alternatives, each of which carries significant burdens. This course introduces you to theoretical frameworks from a wide range of global perspectives, including Greek, Confucian, and African virtue ethical theories, Kantian and Utilitarian moral theories, and Feminist and Buddhist ethical theories centered on care and compassion. Students study ethical theories in their social and historical contexts and then apply them to address moral decisions and dilemmas arising from reproductive and sexual ethics, the ethics of care work, the ethics of markets, climate change ethics and green tourism, and the distribution of scarce health resources. This course supports and is a prerequisite for both the Philosophy, Ethics and the Law Concentration and the Interpretation and Meaning Concentration in the Arts & Humanities major because the course provides students with experience in closely interpreting philosophical texts in their social and historical contexts, and supports students as they integrate contextual knowledge into their evaluations of each perspective.

What is the law, why should we obey it, and what constitutes an ethical legal system? Are human rights universal or culturally relative? How should customary laws relate to constitutions, if at all? We examine fundamental legal concepts and practices, as well as the evolution of diverse understandings of law and its application from the perspectives of legal systems throughout the world. We then consider topics in legal theory such as the role of constitutions and customs, the theory of punishment, the purpose of civil disobedience, the roles of law in constructing social identities, the relationship between national and international law, and the nature and practice of human rights law. This course supports and is a prerequisite for both the Philosophy, Ethics and the Law Concentration and the Global and Comparative Humanities Concentration in the Arts & Humanities major because the course examines legal theory from a wide range of global perspectives, helping students draw comparisons and cross-cultural critiques of assumptions we find in legal theories.

As individuals, we lead both private and public lives. Political and social institutions provide the framework within which we interact with others and pursue our personal goals and ambitions. What is the proper role of these institutions, and how can we change them for the better? How are our social and political institutions the result of design thinking and how can we critically reflect on the design dynamics in play to contribute to more democratic or more just institutions? This course explores these questions by examining central topics in social and political philosophy, including democracy, justice, the family, and the nature of social identity. We investigate how political and social systems ought to be designed, with special consideration to international issues including environmental pollution, humanitarian intervention, global poverty, migration, and secession. Note: This course supports and is a prerequisite for the Philosophy, Ethics and the Law Concentration and the Design Across the Humanities Concentration in the Arts & Humanities major. It also counts toward the Minor in Sustainability because it examines social and political values underpinning institutions of peace and justice featured in contemporary societies, including democratic principles that aim to reduce inequality and poverty, mobility design through immigration and border policies, and the use of design thinking to challenge western conceptions of sustainable development. This course examines democratic principles that aim to reduce inequality and poverty, mobility design through immigration and border policies, and the use of design thinking to challenge Western conceptions of sustainable development.