Introduction to Moral Philosophy

Ethics! Normative, applied and meta.

4.50 (353 reviews)
Udemy
platform
English
language
Humanities
category
Introduction to Moral Philosophy
1,627
students
2 hours
content
Dec 2019
last update
$64.99
regular price

What you will learn

1. Explain the principles of the three major moral theories in Western philosophy: utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics.

2. Apply those theories to real life ethical dilemmas: stealing, telling lies, simulated killing and killing animals.

3. Unpick meta-ethical questions, such as whether there's such as thing as a moral fact.

Description

What will you learn?

The principles of the three major moral theories in Western philosophy: utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics.

How to apply those theories to real life ethical dilemmas, such as stealing and killing animals.

How to unpick meta-ethical questions, such as whether there's such as thing as a moral fact.

Who is this course for?

This course gives a basic introduction to Moral Philosophy and can be studied by those who have never studied Philosophy before. It will appeal to those who are simply interested in the topic; those wanting to take an A level qualification in Philosophy, or those teaching the topic who want fresh ideas on how to explain various topics.

What does the course cover?

It focuses on the the three main normative ethical theories of the Western world: utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics. It looks at some of the key figures in Moral Philosophy from Aristotle to Kant to John Stuart Mill. It then focuses on how their ethical theories can be applied in practice to answer whether its ever okay to steal, lie, play violent video games or kill and eat animals. The course finishes by exploring where morality might come from. Is it a feature of our psychology or do moral facts exist as properties of the universe? It also asks what we're doing when we make moral statements – are we doing anything more than expressing our emotions?

The course is structured to be interactive, with activities spread throughout and a multiple choice quiz after each section. Information is delivered mainly through narrated slideshows. Each slide includes images that have been paired with the ideas and concepts discussed to help make the material easier to understand and remember. There is also a transcript of each video to help you follow the material and know how to spell new terms. If any topic particularly takes your interest then you can access the additional resources section of each lecture, which will enable you to explore further. There is also a discussion group where you can discuss the ideas and concepts you will be studying.

The syllabus covered in this course is that listed in the AQA's 7172 A Level Philosophy syllabus for the 'Moral Philosophy' module. Further information on how this qualification is structured and assessed are attached to the first video. If you are interested in the other Philosophy topics on the A Level syllabus then you may wish to explore my 'Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind' (Metaphysics of Mind), my 'Introduction to the Philosophy of Western Religion' (Metaphysics of God), or my 'Introduction to Epistemology' (Philosophy of Knowledge).

Content

Introduction and Ethical Theory 1: Utilitarianism

1.0 Welcome to the Course
1.1 Introduction
1.2 What is 'utility'?
1.3 Bentham: Pleasure and Pain
1.4 Bentham's felicific calculus
1.5 Critiquing Bentham
1.6 John Stuart Mill's Higher and Lower Pleasures
1.7 Act, Rule and Preference Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism

Deontology

2.1 Consequences Versus Intentions
2.2 Deontology: Duties and Imperatives
2.3 The Categorical Imperative
2.4 Other Formulations of the Categorical Imperative
2.5 Objections to Deontology
Deontology

Virtue Ethics

3.1 Introducing Aristotelian Virtue Ethics
3.2 Virtues and Vices
3.3 The Doctrine of the Mean
3.4 'The Good': Eudaimonia
3.5 Education in Virtue
3.6 Practical Wisdom
3.7 Voluntary, Involuntary and Non-Voluntary Actions
3.8 Problems with Virtue Ethics
Virtue Ethics

Applied Ethics

4.1 Stealing
4.2 Telling Lies
4.3 Simulated Killing
4.4 Animal Rights: Utilitarianism
4.5 Animal Rights: Deontology
4.6 Animal Rights: Virtue Ethics
Applied Ethics

Meta-ethics

5.1 The Basis for Morality: Reason, Emotion or Other?
5.2 What is a Fact?
5.3 Are there Moral Facts?
5.4 Moral Anti-Realism: Emotivism, Prescriptivism and Error Theory
5.5 Moral Realists: Moral Naturalism and Moral Non-Naturalism
5.6 Is Ethical Language Meaningful?
5.7 Evaluation and Conclusion
Meta-ethics

Reviews

Jonathan
July 12, 2023
A good introduction to the subject matter for complete beginners: the concepts presented are clear and simple to grasp. This course can also be of interest to undergrads wishing to study for the ethics course in their discipline (e.g. business) or simply to people familiar with the subject wishing to revisit the key points of the classics authors' moral framework.
Natalie
January 5, 2022
A fascinating course with genuinely challenging quizzes that helped me gauge my level of understanding. Clear and interesting delivery too.
Dave
December 18, 2021
The instructor delivered on her promise to both deliver concise content on a broad topic, as well as making it interesting and fun.
Luis
October 17, 2021
A good course in length and subject matter for a first course on the subject. I look forward to taking additional courses by this instructor.
Brittany
May 1, 2021
The presentations and explanations were mostly simple and easy to follow - very much an introduction which is what I was looking for. The quizzes were a bit simplistic and sometimes I wish the course explored the topic in a bit more depth, but otherwise it was a good introduction.
Jonathan
August 9, 2020
I think the quizzes can be improved. Negative questions, describe the NOT, isnt a good quiz tactic, as it merely confuses the mind with language and possibly unfair to those where English is a second language, rather than questioning recall. The pace of the first two sections were slow and then dramatically stepped up, reminding me of schook days when the teacher failed to spread the lessons out properly snd you always left with more stuff in the last week. :)

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2535402
udemy ID
8/30/2019
course created date
11/14/2020
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