PHI203: Aristotelian, Thomistic and Kantian Ethics
Key details
| Accredited towards | Bachelor of Arts in the Liberal Arts |
| Unit type | Core unit |
| Credit points | 6 |
| Indicative contact hours | 3 hours per week |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Offered in | Semester 1 |
| Tuition fee | Learn more |
Overview
This unit involves a careful study of Aristotelian and Thomistic ethics, the study of human acts as they are ordered to the full flourishing of the human being. Other topics include the voluntary character of human action and moral good and evil, erroneous notions of happiness, the moral and intellectual virtues (and corresponding vices), justice, friendship and the natural law. The unit also considers, by way of contrast to the Aristotelian-Thomistic ethical tradition, the ethical thought of Immanuel Kant. Primary texts may include the Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle, the “Treatise on Happiness” in the Prima secundae of St. Thomas’ Summa Theologiae, and Kant’s Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:
- Understand, describe and evaluate the fundamental ethical theories expounded by Aristotle and Aquinas, including eudaimonia, virtue, natural law, and the telos of human life
- Describe the influences of Aristotelian philosophy on Aquinas’s philosophy
- Develop arguments in defence of different ethical perspectives informed by the positions of Aristotle, Aquinas and Kant
- Produce clear, coherent and detailed arguments in written and oral forms
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