Philosophy for Teens - An Introduction to Virtue Ethics

Philosophy can be frustrating, full of problems with no good answers.  

The worst is the "trolley problem" thought-experiment that asks students to choose between five people being run over, or just one.  What a horrible choice!   Did you know there is a way to solve the "trolley problem" where no one gets hurt at all?  This is what my class is all about.  

There are three classification of ethics.  The one least spoken about is Virtue Ethics.  The other two categories, known as deontology (absolute ethics) and consequentialism, dominate public discourse and academic attention. This often leaves students feeling demoralized, and thinking all ethics are arbitrary or impractical in real life.  But Virtue Ethics are empowering and life-affirming.  

My class is an introduction to philosophical Virtue Ethics, which were developed independently by Aristotle in the "West" and Confucius in the "East."   In this class, I talk about the history, key terms, and practical life lessons that can be learned from Virtue Ethics.  

For example, in ancient Greece, Aristotle argued that there was a connection between personal excellence, happiness in life, and social responsibility, and that the virtuous person who excels in virtue will be rich in friendships and blessed with good citizenship.  Likewise, the Chinese philosopher Confucius wrote that the keys to flourishing in life was through benevolence  仁 (ren), righteousness 義 (yi), trustworthiness 信 (xin), propriety 禮(li), and wisdom 智(zhi).

My class discusses their philosophies, and then brings this insights to the infamous trolley problem, empowering students to respond to these ethical questions in ways that are not demoralizing and nihilistic.  

The class concludes with the practical life advice of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) who in the spirit of Virtue Ethics advises everyone: “Achieve your wellbeing with the least possible harm to others.”  This is power and possibility of Virtue Ethics.  

My class is structures as an interactive lecture with many graphics and opportunities for questions and discussion, with myself and other students.  No prior background in philosophy is required.  A "practice quiz" will be given to students before class, which they can fill-out as they listen and participate -- it is not graded, but a learning tool to help students focus on the important terms, topics, history, and ethical principles.  

Topics covered include: the trolley problem, deontology, consequentialism, virtue ethics, meta-ethics, happiness (eudaimonia in Greek), virtue (arete in Greek), as well as the Chinese philosophical principles listed above.