Comparative Ethics East and West

Catalog description

In an increasingly globalized world, ethical decisions often involve considering diverse systems of beliefs about how one ought to live. In this course, students will think about ethical questions from cross-cultural perspectives, including perspectives of Buddhism, Confucianism, Aristotelianism and utilitarianism. By analyzing arguments made in Eastern and Western philosophical and religious traditions, students will begin to see similarities - such as the use of logical reasoning and the undesirability of pain - as well as fundamental differences. Case studies and examinations of contemporary issues make the course content relevant to the present day.