LEADER
John Riley has focused many of his Classical Pursuits seminars on modern and postmodern literature and philosophy, including courses on Kierkegaard, Freud, Derrida, Sartre, Camus, Bolaño, Marquez, Joyce and others. He is keenly interested in the philosophical implications of modernity and how our contemporary world sorts these out.
READINGS
Essays and chapter selections from the following:
The Human Condition: Second Edition by Hannah Arendt
(University of Chicago Press, 1958)
ISBN-13: 978-0226025988
Practical Ethics by Peter Singer
(Cambridge University Press, 1993)
ISBN-13: 978-0521439718
Additional articles and selections include “Modern Moral Philosophy” by G.E.M Anscombe; “The Trolley Problem” by Philippa Foote (and other ethical dilemmas); A Theory of Justice by John Rawls; The Possibility of Altruism” by Thomas Nagel and The Sources of Normativity by Christine M. Korsgaard (excerpts will be provided)
SEMINAR OVERVIEW
“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” Potter Stewart
“It is OK if you can get away with it.”
“Who cares? Everybody cheats.”
“It’s not my problem.”
Modernists lament the death of God, even while they shovel dirt on the casket. Nothing to be done, they might say. However, the absence of universal truths passed down by an omnipotent being does not mean the absence of workable norms and laws. The challenge is identifying those statutes and making them stick, merging personal principles with the common interest.
Philosophers have advanced the argument that despite a diversity of beliefs and even non-beliefs, norms and laws can be established successfully across societies. They also recognize that ethics and moral precepts have a very tenuous hold on humanity. We have seen the “rules” abandoned with impunity many times. Defining ethical behavior in the contemporary world is fraught with counterexamples and uncertainty, but this seminar has several thinkers who are up to the task of battling the forces of nihilism and extreme relativity.
This seminar on contemporary ethics relies upon the ideas of renowned philosophers from 100 years ago to the present day to explore these questions:
- How did we get here? What is the “problem of ethics” defined?
- How are social compacts formed? What authority do they possess?
- Should all human behavior be understood as intractably self-interested?
- How subject to circumstance or interpretation can laws or be before losing force?
- What is the path forward toward ethical consciousness?
Toronto Pursuits pricing options
All seminars are $150 off through February 28. Sale prices are automatically applied.
Bring a friend and save even more! Take $100 off your registration for every new friend you bring to Toronto Pursuits. Your friend also saves $100 on their registration. Choose your discount from the dropdown menu based on the number of friends who also plan to register, and let us know your friend’s name in the order notes.
The fine print: To get the bring-a-friend discount, your friend must not have registered for any previous Toronto Pursuits seminar in any year. Your friend must register by July 1, 2025, or Classical Pursuits will apply the nondiscounted price to your final payment. Limit one $100 discount per participant for being referred as a new friend. For example, if person A brings new friend B, person C cannot also claim friend B for the bring-a-friend discount. If friend B brings new friend D, friend B qualifies for $100 discount for being a new referral, and an additional $100 for referring new friend D. Classical Pursuits reserves the right to make all decisions about discount eligibility.
Toronto Pursuits 2025
See the Toronto Pursuits 2025 page for full details on the program schedule, health and safety, booking your accommodations, terms and conditions, and more.
