Normative Ethics

Pre-requisites: None

Course objectives: The goal is twofold: first, gaining general knowledge of normative ethical theories (Utilitarianism, Deontological ethics, Intuitionism, Virtue ethics, Doctrine of double effect, etc.), and second, gaining special knowledge from one of these areas.

Course description: Normative ethical theories differ, sometimes radically, in the outcome of what will eventually be a moral evaluation of the same act. Some of these theories are particularly comfortable for specific purposes (eg. for making tough decisions, or for the final decidability, etc.). Therefore, the course content consist of series of lectures on specific normative ethical theories, with a common introductory part that is related to general characteristics of normativity and assumptions that a theory must satisfy in order to be a good normative ethical theory.

Learning Outcomes: The outcome is based primarily on the second goal of the course, gaining special knowledge about one partucular normative ethical theory.

Literature/Reading:

• Smart & Williams, Utilitaranism: For and Against
• Sidwick, Methods of Ethics
• Mil, Utilirizam
• Bentham, Introduction to the Principles of the Morals and Legislation
• I. Kant, Zasnivanje metafizike morala
• I. Kant, Kritika praktičkog uma
• J. Babić, Moral i naše vreme, 1-4