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A general introduction to ethics. Important ethical theories. Applied ethics (issues in e.g. occupational ethics, medical ethics, environmental ethics, public service, etc.)
This module offers a critical introduction to normative moral and political philosophical theories that have been most influential in the social and applied sciences. It deals with the formulation of rules, norms, principles and ideals that regulate such diverse moral and political phenomena as freedom, equality, justice, rights, redistribution, recognition, the individual vs. the community, oppression, power, legitimacy, pluralism and difference, all of which are central to current social debates in South Africa. Examples of theories and theorists that might be dealt with are utilitarianism (Bentham), distributive justice (Rawls), communitarianism (Sandel), discourse ethics and distributive democracy (Habermas), the politics of difference (Young) and multiculturalism. The module provides a critical overview of the key concepts of these theories as well as some of the ways in which they have been employed in the social and applied sciences.