Kursinformation

This is a course in applied philosophy: we shall be investigating philosophical problems that arise in the specific context of international relations. In particular, we shall be investigating problems of an ethical nature, problems that involve deciding what, in a moral sense, is the right thing to do. In discussing these problems, we shall take for granted certain facts about the international world: that states exist, lay claim to territories, and exercise coercive power; that states protect, but also violate, human rights; that conflicts, including armed conflicts, arise between states, and between groups within and across states. We shall be trying to explain, not these facts themselves, but our moral reactions to them, and the moral duties and claims that we think states, groups, and individuals have with respect to one another in the various contexts that these facts create. Among the concepts to be investigated are: rights and human rights; the domestic vs international scope of duties of distributive justice; territorial rights and their ethical foundation; open vs closed borders and the ethics of immigration; the ethics of war; the ethics of terrorism.