PHIL 203(F) Aristotle's Ethics

Aristotle's ethics exemplifies an approach to moral questions and to the issues of moral theory that is significantly different from both Kantianism and utilitarianism, the two most influential positions in contemporary moral philosophy. In examining Aristotle's doctrine as it is presented in the Nichomachean Ethics, we shall concentrate on the distinctive features of his position: his conception of the way of proceeding in ethics; the nature of eudaimonia or "happiness" (if "happiness" is understood to entail "living well" or "flourishing"), which is identified as the final end of human action; the account of virtue and the associated characterization of right action; the characterization of practical reasoning and its rationality; and the complex account of human motivation, including the phenomena of akrasia or "weakness of will." We shall also consider how some of Aristotle's ideas have been restated in modern terms, or developed further, by such contemporary philosophers as Philippa Foot, John McDowell and Rosalind Hursthouse. Requirements: class participation and four short papers. Prerequisite: Philosophy 101.

Hour: KOJEN