Disaster ethics

University of Lethbridge

In the age of Covid-19, we’re all disaster ethicists now. How should states prioritize disaster response? What changes to society are ethically acceptable? Is price gouging ever okay? How should persistent racial and socioeconomic inequalities be accounted for in disaster response planning? What are our obligations to non-human animals when they are affected by disaster? And how should we balance the risk of catastrophic but less likely disasters with preventing foreseeable but less damaging ones? 

The Good

University of Toronto

According to one taxonomy, ethical theories are made up of two parts: the good, which tells us which intrinsic factors exist; and the right, which tells us what to do with those intrinsic factors. An ethical theory requires both in order to be complete. This course looks at some options of the good, including well-being, equality, desert, fairness, knowledge, achievement, and autonomy.

Bioethics

University of Lethbridge

This course introduces students to some of the main topics in bioethics. These include informed consent, medical assistance in dying, abortion, and genetic engineering. It investigates both theoretical questions for (e.g., what is death? what are the goals of medicine?) and applied issues.

Ethical Theory

University of Toronto

Most of this course is a survey of the four great ethical theories: contractarianism, deontology, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics. It concludes with an analysis of Derek Parfit’s argument in On What Matters that the best versions of the major theories converge on the same answer.

Death & Dying

University of Toronto

“We’re all on the way out. Act accordingly.” So says Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) in The Departed. But what does it mean to act accordingly? What’s the right attitude to have toward death? Is it ever permissible to help someone die? This course surveys some of the proposed answers.

Well-Being

University of Toronto

This course explores the philosophical concept of well-being. Part of the course is focused on figuring out what well-being is. The other part looks at the three main theories of well-being: hedonism, the desire theory, and objective accounts.