Topics in metaphysics and ethics

Lectures: 1 session / week, 3 hours / session

This is a class about 'ought' and ought—you can think of it as a class in philosophy of language and metaphysics in which the focus is the ethical sphere. Some of the questions that we will broach include: How should we give a semantics for 'ought' generally? Is there anything special about the ethical 'ought'? Is there anything that you ethically ought to do, e.g., give to charity or refrain from stealing? If it is true that you ethically ought to do this or that, then why so? Is there a part of the world—oughtiness—that makes it the case that you ethically ought to do this or that?

MIT students were required to obtain permission from the instructors.

Students taking this class for credit ought to:

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