Course Code: GMOR 150
Academic Year: 2024-2025
It is safe to say that at some point in our lives we will come face to face with a moral dilemma. It may involve a personal relationship, a conflict at work, or perhaps a broader societal issue that is concerning to us. Whatever the case, when we find ourselves asking about the right thing to do, about what makes a good person good or the best kind of life to lead, we find ourselves immersed in the murky waters of morality. What is the source of our moral judgments? Should we rely on our feelings to determine what is good or bad, or should we rely on reason? What is the relationship between our moral values and the social, cultural or historical circumstances that surround them? To help us answer these and other questions, we will survey some of the great moral philosophers of history. While they each wrote in different times and places, they will provide us with signposts for evaluating our present moral state and test our intuitions with regard to some urgent present-day issues - such as the conduct of businesses we support, our treatment of animals or medical assistance in dying - all of which call on us to make informed judgments backed by sound moral reasoning.