The Ethics and Moral Psychology of Good and Evil

• • A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials.

Others

Pre-requisite 40cp at 1000 level or above NCCW (pre-2020 units) PHIL226 NCCW (2020 and onwards) PHIL2026 The Ethics and Moral Psychology of Good and Evil

Additional requirements

No additional requirements

What is it that makes us good or evil, virtuous or vicious? What does it mean to be a competent agent who can be held responsible for moral as well as immoral action? And what does morality and moral theory require of us as agents? Thinking about what motivates morality raises important questions about the role played by reason, will, emotion and intuition in bringing about moral­ behaviour. It also offers a basis for critically examining prominent ethical theories to see how well they can accommodate the lived realities of human agency and motivation. And it invites further questions about the contribution of social context and psychopathic conditions in explaining ordinary and extreme forms of wrongdoing. This unit will critically examine the philosophical and psychological literature on moral agency, virtue, goodness, and evil, as well as exploring historical and contemporary philosophical accounts of the importance of such things as integrity, character, autonomy and respect for others in moral life and moral relations.

• Reflective Essay (35%)
• Online quizzes (25%)
• Participatory task (20%)
• Reflective writing (20%)

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