180207 KU Topics in Moral Philosophy (2023S)

This course examines the role and importance of moral knowledge in meta ethics, moral psychology, and moral philosophy. Do we need moral knowledge in order to be wise? Are there some virtues (such as modesty or humility) that require ignorance? Do we need moral knowledge in order to act for moral reasons? What kind of moral knowledge matters: do we need to know which moral theory is the right one? And what role does metaphor or narrative play in our attainment of moral knowledge? These are some of the questions we will examine over the course of this semester.

We will examine them by engaging with recent work in moral philosophy but also epistemology and philosophy of mind. There will be an assigned reading for each session, which you are expected to read closely in advance of the seminar. We will spend the seminar sessions dissecting arguments and discussing the readings.

A major aim of this course is to improve philosophical presentation and writing skills: to present and write with clarity and care and to improve one's work in light of critical (but constructive!) comments.

There will be six written assignments that students will complete over the course of the semester.