CLHUMPL001 - A History of Ethics: Socrates to Nietzsche
How should I live? What, if anything, gives my existence meaning? What responsibilities do I have to others? How should I respond if their needs conflict with mine? Is life just about getting what you want, or is it about more noble goals like truth or moral goodness? Each of us, inescapably, is confronted with such questions. Spanning ancient, medieval, modern and post-modern philosophy, this course highlights the varied views of major thinkers. With insights from ancient Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle; the theistic medieval philosophers St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas; enlightenment thinkers Immanuel Kant and the utilitarian John Stuart Mill; and the radical critic of traditional morality, Friedrich Nietzsche, come think for yourself about these deeply personal questions. We seek to understand what these philosophers thought and examine how their philosophies apply to your life. Includes lecture, suggested readings and discussion.
Course Details
Victor Saenz, Ph.D., is executive director of the Houston Institute and a lecturer in the Rice Department of Philosophy. He completed his Ph.D. in philosophy at Rice in August 2018, where he wrote a dissertation on Aristotle’s account of the moral virtues in the “Nicomachean Ethics.” His research interests include ancient philosophy as well as ethics and bioethics. While at Rice, he served as senior managing editor of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy and Christian Bioethics; he was also the 2017–19 bioethics fellow at the Paul Ramsey Institute. Dr. Saenz holds a B.A. in philosophy and classics from the University of Notre Dame (2009) and an M.A. in philosophy from Texas A&M (2011). At Rice University he has taught Contemporary Moral Issues, Philosophy as a Way of Life: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy: Plato’s Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, and Ancient and Medieval Philosophy: Aristotle’s Ethics.
On Campus
This course will be delivered on campus / in person. Parking and room information will be sent prior to the class start date.
- Ancient Philosophy: Socrates & Plato
- Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle
- Medieval Thought: Augustine
- Medieval Thought: Aquinas
- The Enlightenment: Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill
- Upending Modernity: Friedrich Nietzsche
Houston Institute