Foundations of Ethics

The foundations of moral philosophy. Aristotle can be considered the founder of 'moral philosophy' (or 'practical philosophy', understood as a science different from the theoretical ones and yet endowed with its own rationality and method). The Nicomachean Ethics is the most complete and successful of the three ethics written by Aristotle: a work of extraordinary philosophical importance, a pillar of western culture. In the first forty hours of the course it will be retraced and analysed, with attention paid to its theoretical cores and argumentative procedures. In the third part of the course, the renewed presence of Aristotelian ethics in contemporary debate will be highlighted, through the considerations of authors who have rethought it in order to address the controversies and problems of our present day.

The first part of the course will be dedicated to the historical and conceptual aspects of the discipline. Then the course will focus on the notion of ethical universalism, taken into account through the historical relationship between Europe and its colonies.