PHI 242LEC—The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful

Our aesthetic styles and preferences say a lot about us. But what do they reflect about our moral code? Does it mean something bad if you prefer certain body types? What if you like gangsta rap? What if you laugh at a racist joke? Questions like these exist at the intersection of ethics and the philosophy of art. This course will examine such questions as w well as others having to do with intellectual property, government-funded arts, political art, and the aesthetics of environmental preservation. The aim of the course is to introduce the variety of different ways that ethical issues affect art and aesthetic experience.