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Philosophy, Morality and Society - PHL132
This unit provides an introduction to major topics in ethics, moral theory and contemporary political philosophy. The first section, Ethics and the Good Life, focuses on the nature of happiness. Is pleasure essential to happiness? Or does the pursuit of pleasure harm our chances of lasting fulfillment? Must we be virtuous in order to be happy? What is the relationship between happiness and duty? The second section, Foundations of Morality, explores the sources of morality and the objectivity of moral judgment. Is morality based ultimately in self-interest? What is the relationship between morality and religion? Are there moral principles that everyone is bound by reason to recognise? Or is the validity of moral standards relative to specific societies and cultures? In the third section, Contemporary Problems of Justice, we turn to questions of applied and social philosophy. We consider key principles of justice that ought to prevail in the contemporary world. These include: how should social resources be distributed? What are the obligations of wealthy nations to those less fortunate? What obligations do we have towards immigrants and refugees?
| Credit Points: | 3 |
| When Offered: | D1 - Day; Offered in Session 1, North Ryde Xc1 - External study (composite mode); Offered in Session 1 X1 - External study; Offered in Session 1 (On-campus dates: 31 March, 26 May) Session 3 Internal - Day; Offered in December 2012 - February 2013, North Ryde |
| Staff Contact(s): | Dr Robert Sinnerbrink |
| Prerequisites: |
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| Corequisites: | |
| NCCW(s): | PHIL132, PHI110 |
| Unit Designation(s): | |
| Unit Type: | People unit |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: | Department of Philosophy Faculty of Arts |
Timetable Information
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