Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An examination of an issue or selection of issues in the history of moral or political philosophy. Historical readings will be the primary focus and may include important figures such as Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Hume, and Kant.

COURSE DETAILS:

Hume, Smith, and Kant

In this course, we will examine and critically compare the ethical thought of David Hume, Adam Smith, and Immanuel Kant.  Hume, as many know, was a sentimentalist: he believed that morality is ultimately grounded in our feelings, emotions, or passions.  Kant, on the other hand, was a rationalist: he argued that if sentimentalism is true, morality is impossible, and that we had to see moral commands as arising from human reason.  Adam Smith is a fascinating and under-appreciated bridge between the two thinkers: while appearing to accept Hume’s sentimentalism, he argued that moral commands arise from a psychological mechanism he called the impartial spectator.  In this class, we will trace this historical narrative, with an eye to an all-important, perennial philosophical question: what, exactly, is this alleged distinction between emotion and reason?

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

If you are taking this course as part of your Philosophy Major, please note that it can count towards the Ethics requirement OR the History of Philosophy requirement (your choice), but not both.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: