FALL SEMESTER
OLLI @ Duke University Instructor: Kennith M. Chiha Thursday 3:30 ~ 4:45 pm COURSE DESCRIPTION This course focuses on foundational ethics and the task of moral thinking by considering two philosophers dynamically opposed in the history of Western moral discourse: Friedrich Nietzsche and Emmanuel Levinas. We will examine their methodological approaches through short, close text readings, lectures, and active class discussions. We will start by reading selections from Nietzsche’s “On the Genealogy of Morals.” We will assess Nietzsche’s conception of the historical development of morality, its origins and causes, and his desire to move beyond the destructive impact of our moral tradition. We will then read excerpts from Levinas’s “Difficult Freedom” and “Totality and Infinity.” This will offer us a glimpse into an opposing model of ethics, where the concept grounding the human condition is “obligation to the human other.” Our goal will be to come to a better comprehension of each ethical model and its implications for our understanding of the human person and society. INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY Ken Chiha earned BA degrees with departmental honors in "Religious and Political Philosophy" and in "Government" (Franklin & Marshall College), an MTS degree in "Moral Theology" (University of Notre Dame), and an MA degree, along with PhD work, in "Christian Ethics" (Loyola University Chicago). His areas of interest include theology, ethics, and political theory. |