180101 SE Bioethics (2021W)

In this course we address the interplay between biology and ethics. While bioethics traditionally includes the application and critical reflection of ethical principles in biology, so-called "evolutionary ethics" is about the introduction of biological knowledge into ethics. Associated with this are a number of philosophical problems - depending on how strong the respective claims are. These range from relatively indisputable descriptions of the biological dispositions of human thought and action, which can enrich the ethical discourse to enforce accepted norms, to attempts to justify ethical norms with the help of biology. These differently strong programs of an evolutionary ethics each have their own claims and associated problems.

In addition to the purely descriptive "auxiliary service" of evolutionary ethics, there are also a number of successful explanatory approaches and models on the genesis and framework conditions for moral action, for example using evolutionary game theory or evolutionary anthropology.

In addition to the possibilities that evolutionary ethics can offer philosophical ethics, we discuss conceptual problems (naturalistic fallacy, should-be problem, metaethics, group selection) as well as difficulties that arise from its thoroughly controversial past (dark chapters such as social Darwinism, Eugenics etc.).

Overall, this is intended to provide a critical overview of useful perspectives, known fallacies and problems of the interaction between biology and ethics.