Ethics with Austen

Course Details

Week One.
Introduction to Ethics with Austen.

I will place Pride and Prejudice in a historical context. We’ll discuss ethical themes central to Austen's work, i.e. individual happiness vs family needs and freedom vs security.

Week Two.
Relational Ethics and Ethics of Care.

These two ethical systems are outlined and explored through Mrs. Bennet's focus on care and relationships throughout the novel. We will interrogate the common reading of Mrs. Bennett as shrill and irresponsible.

Week Three.
Utilitarianism with Elizabeth Bennett.

We discuss Elizabeth Bennett's focus on personal happiness as it relates to Utilitarianism. We look at how philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill might address one of the core questions of the novel: How much happiness should a person sacrifice to protect their security?

Week Four.
Deontological Ethics with Darcy.

The duty-based ethics of Immanuel Kant are often praised for respecting the dignity of all persons but share a certain rigidity with Mr. Darcy. We will discuss this tension.

Week Five.
Contract Ethics.

We will discuss how Austen’s female characters approach a social contract that does not truly include them. From Thomas Hobbes to John Rawls, philosophers have grappled with the question of how to act morally in a society that is not fair to you. Contract ethics is about how to design a society that all citizens could willingly agree to be part of.

Week Six.
Wild at Heart.

We explore the philosophy of Nietzsche by way of Austen’s character Lydia Bennet. Our primary question is whether the other systems give us enough reasons to behave the way society wants us to. In this final week, we also reprise and critique the five ethical systems we have examined.