PHIL 296 - Seminar in Ethics and Value Theory

FDR: HU
Credits: 3 credits in fall-winter-spring, 4 in spring

Spring 2019, PHIL 296-01: Seminar in Ethics and Value Theory: Film, Philosophy, and Nature (4). An examination of a range of issues in philosophy of film, and their relationships to the natural world. What is film? What does it mean to appreciate film landscapes as nature? In what ways do motion pictures stand in a distinctive relationship to the emotions? To ethics? What does it mean to claim that something is part of nature? For example, do claims about ethics, religion, possibility or consciousness describe elements of the natural world, or are they true in virtue of special non-natural properties? What implications do movies have for environmental aesthetics? How should we understand the art(s) of film? Can fiction films communicate important or distinctive forms of knowledge about environmental threats such as global warming? Can popular movies be sublime? What is the distinctive nature of documentary film? Why is it valuable? How do film narratives differ from other narrative forms? We discuss these and related questions in the context of film texts that originate from different national cultures and historical periods. (HU) McGonigal.

Fall 2018, PHIL 296-01: Virtue Ethics and Liberal Arts Education (3). The mission of Washington and Lee is to provide “a liberal arts education that helps students develop their capacities to think freely, critically, and humanely and to conduct themselves with honor, integrity, and civility”. These capacities are known as virtues, positive traits of intellect and character that are believed to be conducive to living well. Virtue ethics is one of the oldest and most important approaches to moral theory. Plato famously asked whether virtue can be taught. Aristotle’s Ethics attempts to answer Plato by giving an account of how the traits that are necessary to human flourishing can be acquired. In this course, students read classic and contemporary texts in virtue ethics, with the aim of evaluating W&L’s mission and the university’s efforts to fulfill it. What does it mean to think freely, critically, and humanely? What are the distinguishing characteristics of honor, integrity, and civility? Are these traits beneficial in every circumstance? Are there other virtues that the university should strive to cultivate in its students? How effectively do the culture, curriculum, and extra-curricular programs at Washington and Lee teach the virtues to which our mission commits us? Students are encouraged to reflect upon their own educational goals, choices, and experiences in light of the philosophical works that they read. (HU) Dudley.