This module will introduce you to contemporary metaethics, a discipline which asks philosophical questions about ethics. The four questions at the centre of the course are: (i) are there truths about ethics – about what is good, bad, right, wrong, and so on? (ii) are these truths objective? (iii) are these truths part of the natural world, and (iv) how does our ethical thought and language work? You will investigate these questions by learning about the major theories defended in contemporary metaethics, and as part of this you will learn about various specific problems and questions investigated by contemporary philosophers in this area.

The module will cover the following topics, which may be subject to variation depending on developments in academic research and the interests of the class:

The five theories we will discuss are:
	Moral naturalism: the view that there are ethical truths, they are objective, and part of the natural world.
		Moral non-naturalism: the view that there are ethical truths, they are objective, but that they are not part of the natural world.
		Constructivism: the view that there are ethical truths, but that they are not objective.
		Error theory: the view that there are no ethical truths.
		Expressivism: the view that ethical language and thought is not best understood as trying to represent ethical truths.
	
	Some of the problems and questions we will investigate include:
	The nature of ethical properties and facts, and their place in the world
		The link between ethical judgements and motivational states like desires and intentions
		The nature of our knowledge of ethical properties and facts: can we know about such things? How? Is it problematic to learn about ethical truths on the basis of what others tell us?
	
Teaching Delivery

This module is delivered in weekly two-hour classes, which are a mixture of lecture and discussion. Students are expected to read the compulsory reading set each week and prepare for discussion in the seminars.

This module has historically been popular. If you try to register on this module, we would advise exploring additional options, just in case.

By the end of the module, you should be able to:

Understand and explain the broadest aims and questions of contemporary metaethics.
	Understand and explain the most popular contemporary metaethical theories and some prominent problems and questions investigated by contemporary philosophers in this area.
	Philosophically evaluate and assess these theories and the answers given to these problems and questions, and understand what kinds of considerations are relevant to this assessment.
	Understand and explain how these theories and questions, and their evaluation, connect with one another and with broader philosophical issues.
Recommended Reading

In preparation for the module, we advise reading the following core texts. These can be found in the UCL Library or online through UCL Library Services:

The International Encyclopedia for Ethics, ed. Hugh LaFollette, is a great resource for short introductory articles to topics. You could start by reading the article on metaethics, written by Jonas Olson. Other good articles include those on moral naturalism, non-naturalism, non-cognitivism, quasi-realism, and error theory.
	Copp, David, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory. Oxford University Press, 2007, chapters 1, 3, 4, 5.
Philosophy Area B