PHIL 330 - Seminar: Ethics & Theory of Value

Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)

A seminar offering an in-depth exploration of a chosen topic in Ethics and Theory of Value.

Topic for 2015/16a: Capitalism, Globalization, Economic Justice and Human Rights. This seminar focuses on questions about capitalism, globalization, and economic justice. A central project of this course is to understand the different ways in which capitalism is conceptualized by various thinkers and philosophical perspectives. We will critically evaluate the benefits and problems attributed to capitalism as a global economic system. We address debates on private property and the division of labor, and examine the functions of states, markets, corporations, international institutions like the IMF and WTO, and development agencies in economic globalization and their roles in securing or undermining human rights. Readings will include the works by figures such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Karl Polanyi, Peter Singer, Thomas Pogge, Antonio Negri, Immanuel Wallerstein, and Zygmunt Bauman. Ms. Narayan.

Topic for 2015/16a: Capital, Volume One. This seminar conducts an in-depth study of the first volume of Karl Marx’s Capital. Mr. Kelly.

Prerequisites: at least three courses in Philosophy.

Topic for 2015/16b: Free Will and Moral Responsibility. If the world is causally determined, does it make sense to think of human beings as free to do as we choose? Does it make sense to hold us morally responsible for our actions? What would the world have to be like, for human freedom or responsibility to make sense? Readings by Nomy Arpaly, R. Jay Wallace, T.M. Scanlon, Helen Steward, and others. Mr. Seidman.

Prerequisites: two 200-level courses in Philosophy.

One 3-hour period.