OVERVIEW

Public ethics; procedural (who decides? How?) and substantive criteria (which principles, standards or rules should be relevant in deciding?) for the justification of public choices in democratic states.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Getting acquainted with the different approaches to the justification of the choices that affect public life and its domains: environmental policies, welfare policies, immigration policies, positive action and ways to fight discrimination, etc. Being able to analyze a) the different criteria which guide public policies; b) the possible procedures for making legitimate choices in democratic decision contexts (who shall decide, and how?). Both elements are essential to what in contemporary philosophical literature goes under the name of "public reason".

TEACHING METHODS

Combination of traditional lectures and classroom discussion of selected essays.  

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Democracy, truth, authority.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Two of the following texts:

N. Urbinati, Democrazia sfigurata, Milano, Egea, 2014.

A. Besussi, Disputandum est. La passione per la verità nel discorso pubblico, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2012.

D. Estlund, Democratic Authority, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2009.

H. Landemore, Democratic Reason, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2013.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

VALERIA OTTONELLI (President)

MIRELLA PASINI

CARLO PENCO

DANIELE ROLANDO

LESSONS

LESSONS START

(approx. from Feb. 22 to April 27)

Class schedule

PUBLIC ETHICS

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral and written exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Final written essay, for those who have attended the course. Alternatively, the student can choose an oral exam on two of the texts listed in the bibliography of the course.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

http://www.scienzeumanistiche.unige.it/?page_id=832&contenuto=corso&id=68