Fall 2013 and Winter 2014 quarters
- Faculty
- Stephen Beck philosophy , Karen Hogan ecology, plant biology
- Fields of Study
- biology, environmental studies and philosophy
- Description
-
This program will investigate the relationship between philosophical ethics and evolutionary biology. We'll learn about evolutionary theory, including an overview of the historical development of evolutionary thought. We'll also learn about some main theories concerning ethical knowledge and the nature of ethics, and we'll study theories of normative ethics. We'll focus on evolution by natural selection and ask whether the imperative of evolutionary fitness, defined as individual reproductive success, is consistent with ethical behavior. A central question is whether our evolutionary history as social animals has given us an intrinsic sense of moral concern for others. We'll consider our ethical obligations to near and distant others, to family and to strangers, to other species, and to ecosystems and global ecology. In that context, we’ll develop an understanding of the ways in which ethics can be consistent with a naturalistic conception of the world and an understanding of the fundamental biological processes of life and of the evolution, diversity, and relationships among different forms of life on Earth.
- Advertised Schedule
- 6-10p Tue/Wed, 9a-5p Sat (fall: Oct. 5, 19, Nov. 2, 16, Dec. 7; winter: Jan. 11, 25, Feb. 8, 22, Mar. 8)
- Campus Location
- Olympia
- Online Learning
- Enhanced Online Learning
- Books
- Greener Store
- Offered During
- Evening and Weekend