Major Ethics Course Questions

Return to Ethics

1. What are moral values and where do they come from?
2. What kind of theory is a moral theory?
3. What are the major theoretical approaches to ethics from philosophers? What use are these theories?
4. To what extent does our psychology and identity explain our political orientation, moral beliefs,and behavior?
5. To what extent is our morality determined by cultural processes?
6. What is political and moral difference? How should I think about and interact with people who hold very different moral, political, or religious outlooks than I do?
7. What is justice?
8. Are there limits to the partiality I should show to my family and friends?
9. Are there “basic liberties”? How are they identified? Is access to abortion services one of them?
10. Is empathy important for a moral person to cultivate?
11. Are we really as responsible for our behavior (including praise and blame behavior) as we think? How should we treat people who violate the law?