Having read his essay, would you describe the author, Luke Bretherton, as a critical moral realist? Drawing on your course readings so far, explain why (or why not).
Q: The following essay appears on the website of Australia’s public broadcaster, ABC, as part of the network’s continuing coverage of philosophy, ethics, and religion:
Having read his essay, would you describe the author, Luke Bretherton, as a critical moral realist? Drawing on your course readings so far, explain why (or why not).
-A new book about three “moral economists,” including R.H. Tawney, provides useful background and context to the discussion of the “moralistic” roots of capitalism. Here’s a review.
COMN 3252 Course decription:
The course begins with a brief overview Western moral thought, and introduces contemporary critical moral realism. This survey encompasses an examination of the rise of modern scientific rationlism and the eclipse of medieval religious value structures beginning in and around the Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries.
From this foundation, the course moves on to a discussion of the development of liberal market capitalism as a rationalist proxy for religious or humanis tmoral guidance. The focus will be on the evolution of the business corporation (the leading actor in modern market capitlism) from the 19th century to its current form; its dominant role in communications media; the growth of media professions and their standards; and the ethics of cororpate artificial persons. We will examine challenges to ethical intentions and behaviour of individuals working within the legal, bureaucratic and cultural constraints intrinsic to the modern business corporation. The course explores the moral and ethical relationships among the corporation, the professionals it employs as managers and workers, and the communities being served. This part of the course will discuss the distinctive moral responsiblities of actors, both human and cororpate, in the cultural/communication industries.
Throughout the semester, weekly readings from the texts provide a description of evolving Western moral thought seen from the perspective of critical moral realism, a system of moral thought that is based on the observation that human beings (and perhaps other creatures) have an innate ability to distinguish, in a very broad sense, between good and bad. In other words, critical moral realism accepts the existence of good (and by implication its opposite) as a feature of the world we live in. It challenges the alleged dichotomy between fact and value. Each week, as well, readings are assigned from important contemporary texts which provide a foundation for, and to expand upon, the ideas explored in the texts.
Lecture notes each week will provide a series of questions arising out of the assigned readings. These notes, prepared by your course director, are intended to summarize the assigned reading for that week, and bring together the text and the outside readings. Students are strongly encouraged to keep a reading log in which responses to those questions are jotted down. As the log grows, it will provide a template for writing the essays, and for the final exam. The process of keeping notes on readings, especially in longhand, has also been shown to significantly enhance long-term retention. Be advised, the reading load in this course is subsantial and will be important not to fall behind.