Economic, Political and Social Ethics

Teacher(s)

Vandamme Pierre-Etienne;

Language

English

Main themes

Inevitably perhaps within economic and social debate, there is constant confusion between empirical comments, theoretical statements and value judgments. The course tries to teach students how to clarify this debate by distinguishing the various types of question, by clarifying the criteria which, for each type, should enable them to decide between competing positions, and examines how the value judgments which underlie the debate can themselves be the subject of a rigorous discussion.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	This course gives students a synthetic and critical outline of the principal contemporary approaches to economic and social ethics. In this way, and through the effective use of analytical tools with which they are provided, the course aims to help students to take a critical and informed position towards the ethical issues which arise in the broad field covered by the economic, social and political sciences.

Content

How should wealth be shared? Under what conditions can the state legitimately coerce individuals? How far should we promote equality of opportunity? Do we have a moral obligation to fight global poverty or climate change? All these questions are crucial for the economy, society and politics. Ethics provides conceptual and normative tools to try and answer them.
This is an introductory course in economic, political and social ethics. It offers a synthetic and critical overview of the main contemporary theories of social justice. It is meant to enable students to develop their own autonomous thinking in this field by providing them with the central concepts and arguments and by applying them to concrete issues raised in the economy, society and politics.
The course is organized in two parts. The first part introduces the main theories of justice (utilitarianism, libertarianism, Marxism, liberal egalitarianism, etc.). The second part focuses on questions of applied ethics in various fields (for example, climate change, racial injustices or migrations).

Teaching methods

Teaching is primarily based on lectures (ex cathedra) that also include numerous opportunities for interaction with students. The slides cover the basic concepts and ideas but are not sufficient on their own to successfully pass the exam. Students are therefore expected to attend class and participate actively by taking notes, asking questions, and taking part in in-class exercises. Only by participating throughout the year will students be able to develop the English language skills that the course aims to promote.

Evaluation methods

Students will be evaluated based on a final written exam in English. The exam will include multiple-choice questions and possibly one or more open-ended questions. It is also possible that an assignment to be completed during the year will count toward the final grade; in that case, students will be notified at the beginning of the semester. The evaluation method is the same for the first session and the second session.
The use of AI is prohibited during exams and strongly discouraged during in-class exercises and homework assignments. This would defeat the purpose, since the goal is to learn how to apply the theories discussed in class on your own.

Other information

The course is taught in English, but the reading list also includes books and articles in French for students who may need them.
Only by attending class regularly will you be able to acquire the course-specific vocabulary and master it in time for the exam, during which the use of a dictionary will not be permitted.
It is strongly discouraged to study using lecture notes in French, as this makes it more difficult to understand the exam questions.

Online resources

Slides available on Moodle right before each class.

Bibliography

Arnsperger Christian et Van Parijs Philippe, Éthique économique et sociale, Paris, La Découverte (coll. « Repères »), 2003.
Kymlicka Will, Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction, Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press, 2002.

• In French: Kymlicka Will, Les théories de la justice : une introduction, traduit par Marc Saint-Upéry, Paris, La Découverte, 2003.

Sandel Michael J., Justice. What’s the Right Thing to Do?, London, Penguin, 2010.

• In French: Sandel Michael, Justice, traduit par Patrick Savidan, Paris, Flammarion, 2017.

Vandamme, Pierre-Etienne,  «Justice sociale (A)», dans Maxime Kristanek (dir.), l'Encyclopédie philosophique,  

Teaching materials

• Slides available on Moodle after each class / diapositives disponibles sur Moodle après chaque cours
• Texts (compulsory readings) / textes (lectures obligatoires)
• Texts (optional readings) / textes (lectures d'approfondissement)

Faculty or entity

> ESPO