Philosophy of Good and Evil

Good and evil are timeless topics and they have motivated centuries of philosophical thinking. Although the terms “good” and “evil” are commonly used across a range of discourses, they are ambiguous, equivocal, and contested concepts. In an effort to explore different ideas about good and evil, this course provides a broad overview of the issues, arguments, and debates that shape philosophical ethics. Guiding questions include the following: What are the origins of good and evil? What makes an action right or wrong? Why do we act morally? What should we do with someone who commits a horrific act? Who decides what counts as a horrific act? What kinds of ethical theories operate without the concepts of good and evil? Is evil an outdated or relevant concept? Do the concepts of good and evil help or hinder moral thinking?

To critically unpack these questions, we will read works by ethical thinkers including Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, Hannah Arendt, Zhuangzi, Simone de Beauvoir, Abû Nasr al-Fârâbî, Nell Noddings, Peter Singer, Kwame Gyekye, Mencius, Sherman Alexie, and others. Along the way, we will study deontology, utilitarianism, contractarianism, ethical relativism, feminist ethics, Taoism, and existential ethics. In addition, we will unpack the ethical arguments that orbit concrete topics such as execution, murder, moral character, racial injustice, and our ethical duties to one another.

This course will familiarize students with the influential frameworks of ethical philosophy, and it will encourage students to apply these frameworks to specific ethical problems. Course requirements include class participation, three short papers, a reflection essay, and a final paper or project. There are no prerequisites for this course, but students should be prepared to engage with difficult, philosophical texts and to discuss these texts in class.