Comparative Ethics

4 credits · Undergraduate

A comparative study of topics in Chinese and Western ethical traditions. Topics include love, compassion, benevolence; rituals, filial obligations, the individual and the family; pride, shame, guilt; conscientiousness, courage, wisdom; trustworthiness, forms of integrity; concepts of the self; self-cultivation; human nature, destiny, the cosmic order; the concept of morality, morality and tradition. The course will conclude with a discussion of metaethical issues concerning the confrontation between rival ethical traditions and methodological issues in the study of comparative ethics.