PHIL 320 - Agency, Emotion, and Morality: Evolutionary Perspectives

FC SSCI WADV

4 credits
There is a long-standing dispute in moral psychology over whether our moral judgments stem from our emotions or our capacity for rational agency. A closely related issue concerns the objectivity of morality: Do moral truths depend on our subjective reactions or do they obtain independently of our responses? In this course we explore these questions in light of our best theories about the evolutionary origins of moral norms and social norms more generally. What do these theories reveal about our moral minds and moral reality? Further topics include the evolutionary origins of punishment and of emotions like empathy and disgust.

Prerequisites: One 200 or 300 level course in PHIL.