An idea that seems to underlie a lot of ethical thinking is that there is a significant distinction to be made between doing something and merely allowing it to happen, or between acts and omissions. However, when we try to think about how such a distinction might be justified, things get tricky.

This class will introduce students to this important ethical debate through its application to decision at the end of life: Is it always worse to kill someone than to fail to provide life-saving assistance? Is active euthanasia more problematic than passive euthanasia? And, most crucially, why?

Students will learn about some of the most influential views in this area, the difficulties faced on both sides of the debate, and the practical ethical implications of different views.

Through careful reading, seminar participation and developing their own original work, students will develop the four core philosophical skills of exegesis (the ability to understand and explain other views), thesis development (the ability to make a focused yet challenging point), argumentation (the ability to defend a view with good reasons), and style (the ability to do all the above with precision and clarity).