Course details

8.3603

Introduction to Metaethics (A)

 S
SS 2023 Priv.Doz. Dr. phil. Uwe Meyer OFFLINE
2h/wk
4 ECTS 		B.Sc modules:
CS-BWP-PHIL - Philosophy for Cognitive Science
KOGW-WPM-PHIL - Philosophy of Mind and Cognition
M.Sc modules:
CS-MWP-PHIL - Philosophy for Cognitive Science

CS-BW - Bachelor elective course
CS-MW - Master elective course 		Fri: 8-10

It seems that people disagree about a whole range of moral issues - from concrete cases like animal testing to abstract problems like the right basic moral principles. How can we make sense of this? Are there moral facts to which we can refer? What sort of facts would they be? Can moral statements be true or false? Or are moral judgments rather expressions of subjective feelings? Is "You were wrong to lie to me" just the same as "You lied to me", said with emotional disapproval? Can we be relativists, so that everyone should act according to the moral principles they find plausible? Would this mean that we cannot argue against someone whose principles make lying no problem at all? Metaethics is about questions like these. The course is at an elementary level. We will start with chapters from Andrew Fisher: Metaethics. An Introduction. The book is available online in the library. This will introduce us to the main questions and positions in the field. We will then look at some specific issues in more detail. The emphasis will be on collective discussion of the issues. Therefore, participants should be present on a regular basis. The exact requirements of the seminar will be discussed at the first meeting. The course lasts 4 hours and is worth 8 credits. We will have a regular coffee break together :-) The course is formally divided into Part A and Part B in order to fit into the philosophy module of the bachelor's programme. 4 credit points can be used for the compulsory optional philosophy module and 4 for the free optional module. The two parts (8-10 and 10-12) can only be taken together, the separation is purely formal.