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Happiness, Goodness and Justice - 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 fulfilment? 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 political philosophy, focusing on questions such as: What principles should govern the distribution of economic and social resources within a society? What are the obligations of wealthy nations to those less fortunate, including immigrants and refugees? And what issues of justice are raised by climate change?
| Credit Points: | 3 |
| When Offered: | S2 Day - Session 2, North Ryde, Day S2 External - Session 2, External (On-campus dates: None) S3 Day - Session 3, December 2016 - February 2017, North Ryde, Day |
| Staff Contact(s): | Professor Nicholoas Smith (Session 2), Dr Melanie Rosen (Session 3) |
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| NCCW(s): | PHIL132, PHI110 |
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| Unit Type: | People unit |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: | Department of Philosophy Faculty of Arts |
Timetable Information
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