This course begins in the first lesson by considering the limits of professional and philosophical ethics education. In the second lesson, it considers texts and concepts in Jainism and Jain ethics insofar as they serve to facilitate reflection on these limits, fostering dialogue on foundational issues in professional ethics. In the final four lessons, Jain four major components of the Jain ethical outlook are explored in relation to professional ethics. In turn, it considers the relationship between self-perception and ethical outlook, the necessity of harm or violence, the validity of anthropocentrism, the moral tenability of the pursuit of affluence, and the need for a balance between personal and professional morality. Rather than proposing a Jain-inspired system of professional ethics for students to consider adopting, this course aims to provide opportunities for
students to reflect upon and adjust the foundations of their professional ethical outlook in conversation with plausible Jain ideas and arguments about how we ought to think, speak, and act.

Learning Area

Professional Ethics

Course Length

6 hours Self-Study (Professor available by appointment in office hours)