Economic, Political and Social Ethics

Teacher(s)

André Pierre;

Language

English

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

Inevitably perhaps within economic and social debate, there is constant confusion between empirical comments, theoretical statements and value judgments. The course tries to teach students how to clarify this debate by distinguishing the various types of question, by clarifying the criteria which, for each type, should enable them to decide between competing positions, and examines how the value judgments which underlie the debate can themselves be the subject of a rigorous discussion.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	This course gives students a synthetic and critical outline of the principal contemporary approaches to economic and social ethics. In this way, and through the effective use of analytical tools with which they are provided, the course aims to help students to take a critical and informed position towards the ethical issues which arise in the broad field covered by the economic, social and political sciences.

Content

How should resources be shared? Under what conditions can the state legitimately coerce individuals? How far should we promote equality of opportunity? Do we have a moral obligation to combat global poverty or climate change? All these questions are crucial for the economy, society and politics. Ethical and political philosophy provides conceptual and normative tools to try and answer them.
This is an introductory course in economic, political and social ethics. It offers a synthetic and critical overview of the main contemporary theories of social justice. It is meant to enable students to develop their own autonomous thinking in this field by providing them with the central concepts and arguments and by applying them to concrete issues raised in the economy, society and politics.
The course will be organized in two parts. The first part will present the main contemporary theories of social justice in general (utilitarianism, libertarianism, Marxism, liberal egalitarianism, etc.). The second part will focus on questions of applied ethics in various fields (for example, climate change, education, public health or taxation).

Teaching methods

Teaching is mainly based on lectures that also include some moments of interaction with the students. Students are therefore expected not only to attend all the lectures, but also to participate actively by taking notes, asking questions and partaking in any in-class exercise.

Evaluation methods

Students will be evaluated based on a final written exam. The exam will include multiple-choice questions and possibly one or more open-ended questions. The evaluation method is the same for the first session the and second session.

Other information

The course is taught in English, but the bibliography also includes works in French for students who need it.
Students are expected to attend all the lectures, study the slides, and complete required readings in order to acquire the knowledge and skills essential to passing the exam.

Online resources

Slides available on Moodle after each class.

Bibliography

Arnsperger Christian et Van Parijs Philippe, Éthique économique et sociale, Paris, La Découverte (coll. « Repères »), 2003.
Kymlicka Will, Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction, Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press, 2002.

• In French: Kymlicka Will, Les théories de la justice : une introduction, traduit par Marc Saint-Upéry, Paris, La Découverte, 2003.

Sandel Michael J., Justice. What’s the Right Thing to Do?, London, Penguin, 2010.

• In French: Sandel Michael, Justice, traduit par Patrick Savidan, Paris, Flammarion, 2017.

Teaching materials

• Slides available on Moodle after each class / diapositives disponibles sur Moodle après chaque cours
• Texts (compulsory readings) / textes (lectures obligatoires)
• Texts (optional readings) / textes (lectures d'approfondissement)

Faculty or entity

> ESPO