Steven Gubka

This is an introduction to the history of ethics with a focus on Aristotle, Kant, and John Stuart Mill. We read the primary texts together with classic contemporary papers that elucidate, develop and critique them. We focus on Aristotle’s distinctive version of the view that everyone desires the good, and his striking account of happiness. We spend time with Kant’s ambitious aim to give ethics a pure foundation in reason. We examine Kant’s famous claim that humanity has special value. We try to make up our minds about Mill’s distinction between active and passive pleasure, and his argument that some pleasures are better than others. We also think through his argument for everyone’s pleasure as the highest good. Students can expect to receive training and guidance in how to read difficult texts from the history of philosophy and this serves as an excellent foundation for the study of any subject in philosophy.

Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies raise pressing ethical and philosophical questions. This course will examine a range of these issues, including the nature and perils of AI, social media and its impacts, and the ethics of human enhancement.