John R. Hoffman is a Professor of Biology, public speaker and a scientist examining the recovery of the nervous system after injury. Since 2006 he has written several unpublished manuscripts and he is currently working on the first Nathaniel Smythe novel and short story collection. He spends his spare time with his family and running.

12 Moral Realism and The Challenge of Skepticism

Objectives:

By the end of this lecture, the student will be able to:

  1. Identify and provide examples of how different ethical systems can contribute to different responses to the same situation.

Part 1. Moral Realism

This mini-lecture examines the viewpoint of moral realists. The handout for this presentation can be downloaded and printed.

Part 2. The Problem of Skepticism

This mini-lecture examines the viewpoint of a moral skepticism.  The handout for this presentation can be downloaded and printed.

Reading:
Chapter 12 Moral Reasoning and the Challenge of Skepticism. Pojman and Fieser (2009) Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong, pp. 209 -223.

Assignment: Your Personal Ethical Philosophy
We have covered a wide range of different philosophies over the first few weeks of the course. Review the basic concepts of the major ethical philosophies and then consider your own personal views.

In contrast with the previous large and small group discussions, this assignment will be completed individually.  Each student will answer the following questions in a MS Word document or text file that will be submitted via email to the course instructor. This assignment should be a minimum of 250 words.

1. Identify the ethical philosophy/philosophies that are the closest fit with your personal view. Explain why you chose this/these ethical philosophies.

2. Identify which which of ethical philosophies that you would never find yourself considering in making decisions.

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