Ethics and Public Life
Course type
Study programme and level
Language
slovenščina
Lectures | Seminar | Tutorial | Druge oblike študija | Individual Work | ECTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
30 | 120 | 6 |
Study programme and level | Study field | Academic year | Semester |
II. level | Law | 1/2 | 1/2 |
Course Type
Elective
Workload | Lectures (h/semester) | Seminar
(h/semester) |
Tutorial
(h/semester) |
Individual Work (h/semester) | ECTS |
30 | 120 | 6 |
Lecturer
assist. prof. dr. Vojko Strahovnik
Language
English
Prerequisites
– inscription in the adequate year of study program
– accomplished requirements for entering the relevant year of study.
Content (Syllabus outline)
- Ethics – General Outline:
- Definition, purpose and objectives of ethics, ethics and other disciplines.
- Human, human dignity and the nature of basic ethical experience.
- Ethical traditions, dimensions of ethical theories and major moral positions.
- Man as a symbolic, responsible being and as a being of community.
- Justice, person, freedom, solidarity and dialogue.
- Personalism, instrumentalism and nihilism.
- Virtues and virtue ethics, ethics as an art of life, meaning of life.
- Key questions and problems of modern and postmodern ethics.
- Ethics and Public Life:
- Moral dialogue and moral debate.
- Democratic and hierarchical social order.
- Problems and challenges of Slovenian transition society.
- Changes in the modern ways of living and the establishment of public space.
- Fairness/justice and stability of the state.
- The problems of ecology, sustainable and just development of the world.
- The ethics of modern media society.
- Religious communities and their role vs. the state.
- Ethics and Law:
- Law, ethics and equity/justice.
- Human rights and duties (philosophical perspectives).
- Delivering justice, subsidiarity and the values of law, sovereignty.
- Importance of law for flourishing and morality of society.
- The rule of law and its assumptions
Study Literature
- Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust, Polity Press, 1991.
- A. Galston, Liberal Purposes: Goods, Virtues, and Diversity in the Liberal State, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1991.
- Novak, On Cultivating Liberty: Reflections on Moral Ecology, Rowman & Littlefield, 1999.
- K. A. Appiah, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, Penguin Books, London 2007.
Objectives and competences
The course aims to acquaint students with fundamental concepts and views in ethics, and further to connect this general discussion with open questions and assumptions of ethics in public life. Ethics is presented as a basis for personal and social functioning, so the course is linked with many other legal subjects/courses. It specifically highlights the ethical problems of Slovenian transition society and discusses ethical traditions and questions as a starting point of modern constitutional and democratic posits, human rights and responsibilities of man and mankind.
Intended learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding:
The importance of ethics and morality for the individual and for the society
Main traditions and approaches of ethical thought
Core ethical concepts, ethical positions and key authors
Understanding the extent of the relationship between law and ethics
Understanding of diverse problems and open questions of ethics in public life
In-depth understanding of the importance of ethics in society and for a healthy society
Developed ability for (conceptually articulated) assessment of the complex moral issues
Broadening and deepening of knowledge of the relevant ethical issues and thus the ability for dialogue between individuals or social groups
Student acquires argumentative and critical thinking abilities within the context and in terms of public life/public policy and is able to recognize meaning and values, exercise a critical approach to moral conflicts and dilemmas.
Learning and teaching methods
Lectures, seminar discussion on the basis of selection of texts (short articles/debates and examples), independent analysis and research work of a student, a term seminar paper (as optional requirement).
Lectures and seminar work are always based upon starting points and issues that are related to the important (ethical) debates in public life with special emphasis on Slovenian context as well as the role and importance of law.
Assessment
oral examination (50%)
and seminar project (50%)
Lecturer’s references
Selected bibliografical units:
STRAHOVNIK, Vojko. Moralne sodbe, intuicija in moralna načela. Velenje: IPAK, Inštitut za simbolno analizo in razvoj informacijskih tehnologij, 2009.
STRAHOVNIK, Vojko in POTRČ, Matjaž. Practical contexts. Frankfurt: Ontos Verlag, 2004.
STRAHOVNIK, Vojko. Globalization, globalized ethics and moral theory. Synthesis Philosopica. 2009, l. 24, št. 2, str. 209-218.
STRAHOVNIK, Vojko in JUHANT, Janez. Pristno delovanje je vzajemnost in sodelovanje. Bogoslovni vestnik, 2010, letn. 70, št. 3, str. 351-364.
STRAHOVNIK, Vojko. The art of life: Kekes and Bauman on attaining the good life. V: JUHANT, Janez (ur.), ŽALEC, Bojan (ur.), BECK, Ulrich. Art of life: origins, foundations and perspectives,. Wien; Zürich; Berlin: Lit, 2010, str. 91-98.