PHIL3085: Ethics & Inquiry in the Public Square

Philosophical Inquiry is the art of asking questions and engaging in collaborative, intellectually safe dialogue in the pursuit of developing meaningful views supported by reasons. In this course students learn skills related to question-asking and how to cultivate Philosophical Communities of Inquiry in the public sphere, with special emphasis placed on (1) topics related to moral reasoning & practice – exploring ways to act wisely and effectively in our own lives and with others, and (2) working with youth populations (elementary, middle, and high school). Together, the class will explore questions like: What is philosophy? Who is philosophy for, and who counts as a philosopher? How do we engage in authentic conversations? Why are some conversations difficult? Why are some questions powerful? How do we teach moral inquiry and moral reasoning? What is the role of philosophy in moral education? What is the role for philosophy in social change & justice, and society? What does self-empowerment look like? This course culminates in a final project in which students contribute to public engagement and outreach efforts taking place with the Cincinnati Ethics Center.  

To this end, this course is a collaborative partnership with the Cincinnati Ethics Center. The mission of the Cincinnati Ethics Center is to promote community engagement, education, and research on important ethical challenges both locally and globally. It brings together community members, students, staff, and scholars to foster dialogue, solve problems, and advance knowledge. Moral inquiry–about right and wrong, justice and injustice, character and integrity—should not be confined to the classroom. The Cincinnati Ethics Center aims to enhance awareness, promote civil discourse and justice, and provide tools that facilitate integrity and support ethical decision-making to create healthier communities for the future in ownership, partnership, culture, sense of community.

Finally, this course provides a gateway for volunteer work, internships, and employment opportunities with the Cincinnati Ethics Center and UC Center for Public Engagement with Science.

This course aims to provide students with knowledge and skill development related to (1) question asking (philosophical inquiry) (2) moral reasoning and inquiry skills, and (3) effective and authentic engagement with community. 

Asking good questions is an art, not a fixed ability. It is a skill you develop and practice.  Questions can be powerful. Questions to help us clarify assumptions, key ideas, basic principles; it is a core critical thinking tool. Question asking and inquiry is also a personal skill we might need to turn inward. It may lead one to reconsider long held or cherished beliefs, and hold ourselves and other accountable. To this end, questions can help reveal what we take for granted, or what we value. Asking questions to other people is an interpersonal skill, which also requires some courage. Learning to question productively, effectively, and kindly takes time and work. Finally, question asking skills and philosophical inquiry promote good citizenship. When we are constantly subjected to claims, we need to learn how to pose focused and specific questions. Learning this still is a vital form of intellectual citizenship.

In this course, we extend question asking and philosophical inquiry to the domain of ethics and moral reasoning. Through this, students attempt to think through a variety of moral issues by considering other people’s viewpoints, and by trying to think though what might lead someone to make a different decision than they themselves might make in specific ethical situations. Students gain experience with perspective taking, as well as appreciation for its role in not only solving complex problem, but in understanding why a problem is complex in the first place. Finally, with the course final project focusing on conducting outreach and engagement in the city of Cincinnati, students are given real world experience engaging in productive and authentic dialogue with those outside of the university community.