Human Flourishing: Ethics in Work and Everyday Life

What is a good life and how can we live it? How can we find happiness, fulfillment, and flourishing? Throughout history, great thinkers have considered these questions under the umbrella of ethics. In this seminar, we will delve into the three foundational schools of thought—utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics—and explore their relevance to everyday life, including work, friendships, and loving relationships. Come ready to ask tough questions, engage in meaningful discussions, and challenge yourself and others. Along the way, connect with like-minded individuals as we seek to answer one of life’s most essential questions: “What good shall I do this day?”

Virtue & Work

Modern life often requires us to acknowledge different norms and adopt different attitudes in different spheres of life, e.g. the workplace, church, family life, and the political sphere. What are the causes and the costs of this “compartmentalization” of life, both for ourselves and our societies? How might we go about reintegrating these spheres in our societies, and in ourselves so as to enjoy a unified human life?

Readings: “Politics, Philosophy, and the Common Good,” and After Virtue, pp. 33.3–34.2.

Optional Readings: After Virtue ch. 15, pp. 204–25; MacIntyre, “What Has Not Happened in Moral Philosophy.”

Join the Morningside Institute for a conversation with Dan Addison exploring exploring Alasdair MacIntyre’s paper, “Politics, Philosophy, and the Common Good,” along with a very short passage from After Virtue. This dinner series on ethics in work and everyday life will take place over dinner from 6 p.m. till 7:30 p.m. at IESE’s New York campus (165 W. 57th Street). A registration fee of $10 offsets the cost of dinner.