PHIL690 FA25
Seminar in Special Topics (PHIL690)
Topic: Moral Psychology
Dr. Per-Erik Milam
Wednesdays · 5:30pm–8:15pm · LA1–302
In this course, we will be exploring the ethics of blame, apology, and forgiveness. Topics discussed in the course will include: proportionality, fairness, and standing to blame; the permissibility of non-moral blame; the limitations of blame as a practice; alternatives to blame; duties to apologize; public and political apologies; the electivity of forgiveness; the misuse/abuse of blame, apology, and forgiveness; and the role of trust in all of these practices. Students enrolling in this course are expected to have a passable understanding of normative ethics, both historical and contemporary. While understanding of ethics is essential, some topics will also engage with debates in social and political philosophy, as well as empirical psychology.