PHIL 613 Contemporary Virtue Ethics
Elizabeth Anscombe's "Modern Moral Philosophy" (1958) is typically credited for reawakening contemporary interest in the virtues. In recent years, "virtue ethics" has emerged as a credible alternative to deontological and utilitarian ethical theories. Especially because contemporary accounts depart from classical accounts of virtue in fundamental ways, however, it is not always clear what "virtue ethics" is. In this course we will examine the origins of contemporary virtue ethics, as well as the different versions of virtue ethics that contemporary theorists now advocate.