Philosophy

Truth and Morality: The Meaning of Life - Year 1

Module code: V7087EB
Level 4
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Coursework

This module is concerned with central issues of morality - examining both the kinds of considerations which might be appealed to in moral arguments, and the status of moral arguments themselves. What should we bear in mind when deciding whether to eat meat, or whether to help someone, or whether to fight a war? In what sense are the decisions we make right? How can a moral argument be a good argument? Are some people wiser than others? Is there any truth in moral relativism? These and related issues will be tackled from a range of theoretical positions.

Module learning outcomes

• Characterise some central positions in first-order ethics.
• Characterise some central positions in meta-ethics.
• Evaluate the familiar arguments for and against these central positions.
• Argue for the student's own view of the philosophical issues raised in the module.