EdX

Introduction to Ethics: Moral Problems and the Good Life (edX)

Offered by MIT, MITx,
Introduction to Ethics: Moral Problems and the Good Life (edX)

A rigorous introduction to ethics. We’ll think about well-being, objectivity, key historical figures and approaches, what we owe to others, and more.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see EdX's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

This course has two goals. The first goal is to introduce you to key questions in ethics.

  • What makes your life go better or worse for you?
  • Can ethics be objective?
  • What are the main historical approaches in ethics?
  • What do you owe to others?

The second goal is to get you thinking rigorously about ethical questions yourself. This will help you develop your critical reasoning and argumentative skills more generally.
Studying philosophy is valuable in itself, but it’s also excellent preparation for a wide variety of other fields. Philosophy majors do exceptionally well in the GRE, GMAT and LSAT, for example. See here for more details.
This course offers instructor grading. If you choose to pursue a verified certificate, a professional philosopher will carefully read, grade and comment upon your work. We believe that this is the best way to learn philosophy.

What you'll learn
You will learn how to think about difficult ethical questions in a rigorous and disciplined way.You will learn about the most important ethical theories, and about how to apply them to real-life cases.

Syllabus

Lecture 1: What is Ethics?
PART 1: WHAT MAKES YOUR LIFE GO BETTER OR WORSE FOR YOU?
Lecture 2: Hedonism — It is about pleasure and pain
Lecture 3: Desire Satisfaction — It is about getting what you want
Lecture 4: Objective Theories — It is about what is worth wanting
Lecture 5: Death — Is death bad for you?
PART 2: CAN ETHICS BE OBJECTIVE?
Lecture 6: Objectivity and God — Ethics without divine command
Lecture 7: Relativism — Ethics across cultures
Lecture 8: Moral Epistemology — Knowing right from wrong
PART 3: THE HISTORY OF ETHICS
Lecture 9: Bentham and Mill — Utilitarianism
Lecture 10: Kant I — Deontology
Lecture 11: Kant II — Deontology
Lecture 12: Aristotle — Virtue ethics
PART 4: HOW YOU RELATE TO OTHERS
Lecture 13: Respecting Rights — The trolley problem
Lecture 14: What You Owe to Needy Strangers
Lecture 15: What You Owe to Future People
Lecture 16: What You Owe to Non-Human Animals

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Behavioral Neuroscience: Foundations of Compulsive Behaviors (edX) EdX
University of Alaska Fairbanks,AlaskaX

Behavioral Neuroscience: Foundations of Compulsive Behaviors (edX)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences Health & Society

The first MOOC to teach behavioral neuroscience research using laboratory mice. Learn responsible conduct of research and how to collect scientific data using two different tests that measure compulsions, and interpret and discuss the results in the context of obsessive-compulsive disorder in humans.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Neuroscience Ethics Animal Research
Details
Historia de la ética (edX) EdX
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid - UC3M,UC3Mx

Historia de la ética (edX)

Humanities

Una mirada hacia el pasado de la ética para poder afrontar mejor los problemas del futuro. Una visión crítica de la ética y la moral sin olvidar el sentido del humor. Cada día debemos afrontar diferentes problemas éticos a los que no tenemos claro qué respuesta dar como sociedad. Es importante conocer la definición de la ética y la moral para poder afrontar estos problemas. Este curso de filosofía y ética nos permitirá hacer un repaso por el origen de la ética, este es un ejercicio muy útil para poder replantear nuestros problemas éticos actuales y comprender mejor las implicaciones de nuestras decisiones basados en la ética y la moral.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Philosophy Ethics Morality
Details
Introduction to Java Programming: Writing Good Code (edX) EdX
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid - UC3M,UC3Mx

Introduction to Java Programming: Writing Good Code (edX)

CS: Software Engineering CS: Programming

Learn to program in an easy and interactive way and enter the fascinating world of computer science. This is an introductory course to learn programming with Java designed to teach how to code good programs in Java, understanding “good” as both correct and efficient. Basic principles of software engineering will be introduced to make it easier for our future self and others to reuse code. Ethical issues and the intellectual property of our programs will also be addressed in the last part of this course. Examples and case studies will be provided, so that learners can implement simple but increasingly complex programs in Java.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Java Testing Complexity
Details
Crafting Realities: Work, Happiness, and Meaning (edX) EdX
Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore,IIMBx

Crafting Realities: Work, Happiness, and Meaning (edX)

Management & Leadership Business

Learn to create and experience your work as a joyful and meaningful activity - for yourself and others. This course draws upon positive psychology, neuroscience, sociology, and philosophy to guide participants in proactively crafting their own work experience. It weaves inputs from these various fields into a series of lectures and experiential exercises.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Neuroscience Philosophy Sociology
Details
Introduction to Social Work (edX) EdX
University of Alaska Fairbanks,AlaskaX

Introduction to Social Work (edX)

Health & Society Social Sciences

This course is an introduction to the profession of social work and the human services delivery system. It examines the historical development of social work focusing on the knowledge, values, and skills that characterize the social worker. This course will orient the learner to the context for social work and focus on the foundational frameworks of the profession.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Ethics Cultural Competence Social Work
Details
Justice Today: Money, Markets, and Morals (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

Justice Today: Money, Markets, and Morals (edX)

Humanities

Explore the ethical controversies of financial markets. Should you be able to buy a vote, citizenship, or college admission? Would you bet on someone else’s life—or, more accurately their death date? What about paying to see the exploitation of a person? Competition, status, and greed often cause one’s moral compass to move in the wrong direction, but if there is a market to support these macabre sales, then the question to consider is this: Are there certain moral and civic goods, that markets do not honor, and money cannot buy?

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Markets Ethics Justice
Details
Ethical Decision-Making: Labor and Production Dilemmas (edX) EdX
Georgetown University,GeorgetownX

Ethical Decision-Making: Labor and Production Dilemmas (edX)

Social Sciences Business

Labor and production standards, meant to ensure the safety of workers and consumers, are neither universally accepted nor always enforced. Where local governments fail to act, global corporations may receive pressure to step in. In this course, you will consider ethical questions about the role of international businesses in preventing harm abroad.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Ethics Quality Safety
Details