Ethics, or Moral Philosophy, evaluates how we as human beings determine or sort out what we consider right or wrong human behavior.  Like all philosophical disciplines, Reason and Logic should form the foundation and means for evaluating and inquiring into what is the best way to determine what is right or wrong human behavior.  Unfortunately, reason and logic are being left behind and emotionalism is taking their place for many people in the U.S.

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There is a major shift in ethical beliefs for many Americans occurring at this time.  There is much disagreement and conflict in the U.S. society, and much of that has an ethical or moral basis.  Essentially what is happening is people are shifting from some form of moral objectivism to some form of moral relativism.  It is extremely important to understand this shift and the distinctions between moral objectivism versus moral relativism, and this course will help you to do just that.

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The course will include learning about the major ethical frameworks that all people hold some version of - Moral Objectivism, Subjective Relativism, Cultural Relativism, and Emotivism - and determining which ones pass the test of reason and thus are true,  and which ones do not and should be rejected.

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The course will also include looking at the most popular doctrines of moral relativism - including the doctrines of 'tolerance', 'respect', and 'judgmentalism' - and gaining a firm grasp on why the doctrines, as understood by moral relativists, do not pass the test of reason and thus are at best confusing and at worst are harmful.  All three concepts - tolerance, respect, and judging correctly - are important concepts but only when understood correctly. 

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Students will be expected to participate in the discussions we have, and to apply what they have learned.  There are no prerequisites required for this class…just a thirst for learning!  Homework is optional.  The lessons are designed for high school-aged students or advanced middle school, but many adults would benefit from this course as well.  Classes are generally structured for up to 15 students in six, one-hour lessons delivered using Zoom, an online meeting application.  Click here to go to the page where you can find out how to enroll in this course.

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For more information on how the course and classes are run or answers to other questions, please see our FAQ page.

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This class will be loosely based on the excellent book, “Beginning Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy” by Lewis Vaughn.

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This is a six-week class held once a week for one hour per week for a total of six hours of instruction.

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For a full description of this course, please click the Full Course Syllabus to view or download that PDF document.

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