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851-0101-01L 3 Credits BSC , SHE , DZ , DS , DR , MSC D-USYS , D-MAVT , D-INFK , D-MATH , D-PHYS , D-BIOL , D-ERDW , D-GESS , D-ITET , D-CHAB , D-HEST

Introduction to Practical Philosophy

Einführung in die praktische Philosophie

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. em. Dr. Lutz Wingert
Particularly suitable for students of D-MAVT, D-MATL Doctoral students can receive credit for the achievements of this course in the section "Transferable Skills".
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:23:37

Abstract

Practical philosophy deals in a descriptive and evaluative way with the realm of the practical, that is, with action, practices, norms of action, and values held by people and societies. Ethics and political philosophy are branches of practical philosophy. This introductory course will treat some of the main questions and introduce students to the thinking of central figures in the field.

Objective

At the end of the course, students (1) will be familiar with still highly influential answers to some of the main questions (see below, section "contents") in practical philosophy. (2) They will be able to better evaluate how convincing these answers are. (3) Students' own thinking concerning normative, e.g., ethical issues, will be more precise, due to a more sophisticated use of key concepts such as good, right, morality, law, freedom, etc.

Content

Ethics is an account and instruction of the good, that could be reached by conscious, intentional behaviour (=action). Ethics is an essential part of practical philosophy. Therefore one of those central questions, which will be discussed in the course, is: 1. What is the meaning of words like "good" and "bad", used in ethical language? What is meant by "good", if one says: "Working as a volunteer for the is good"? Does one mean, that doing so is useful, or that it is altruistic, or that is fair? Further questions, to be discussed in the course, are: 2. Are moral judgements apt to be justified, e.g. judgments like "Lower taxes for rich foreigners in the are unjust" or "Every person ought to be entitled to leave any religious community"? If so, how far a moral judgment's justification can reach? Is one right in arguing: "It is possible to show the truth of the proposition (a):The emissions of nitrogen dioxide in Zurich is far beyond the permissible limit (80 mg/m3). But it is not possible to verify the proposition (b): In our times, the inequal global distribution of wealth is far beyond the permissible limit. Proposition (a) states an objective fact, whereas (b) expresses a mere subjective evaluation, though that evaluation might be widely spread. 3. What are just laws, and what is the relationship between law and morality? 4. Is freedom of a person, though presupposed by criminal law and morality, nevertheless an illusion? These questions will be partly discussed with reference to seminal authors within the western philosophical tradition (among else Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant). Contemporary philosophers like Jürgen Habermas, Thomas Nagel, Ernst Tugendhat or Bernard Williams will be included, too.

Resources

Literature

Preparatory Literature: -Dieter Birnbacher, Analytische Einführung in die Ethik, 2. Aufl. Berlin: de Gruyter Verlag 2006. - Simon Blackburn, Think. A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy, Oxford: University Press (=UP) 1999, chapters 3 und 8. - Philippa Foot, in: diess., Virtues and Vices and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy, Oxford: UP 2002, and , in: dies., Moral Dilemmas and Other Topics in Moral Philosophy, Oxford: UP 2002. - H.L.A. Hart, , in: ders., (Hg.), The Oxford Handbook of Free Will, Oxford 2002. – Thomas Nagel, The Limits of Objectivity, in: The Tanner Lectures on Human Values 1980, Vol I., ed. Sterling McMurrin , Cambridge et al.: UP 1980, pp. 75-139. - Ulrich Pothast, in: ders., (Hg.), Seminar: Freies Handeln und Determinismus, Frankfurt/M.: suhrkamp taschenbuch wissenschaft 1978, pp. 7-31. - Bernard Williams, Morality. An Introduction to Ethics, Cambridge: UP (=Canto Series) 1976. - Peter Winch, The Idea of a Social Science, 4.Aufl. London 1965, ch. II.

General Information

Language
German
Levels
BSC , SHE , DZ , DS , DR , MSC
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
graded semester performance

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Einführung in die praktische Philosophie
  • Wed 16:15-18:00 (CAB G 61)
  • 07.06 Date 16:15-18:00 (HG E 1.1)
2 h weekly

Offered In