[FE 2026]  BAC. 1st/2nd yr Social Ethics – 24.25

Semester I
thursday 10:30 - 12:15

Course Information

Professor: REESE, Fr. Philip-Neri
Email: [email protected]
Language: English

ECTS: 3
Schedule:
Semester I
thursday 10:30 - 12:15

Content

In the Aristotelian tradition, there are three distinct ethical sciences: individual ethics, domestic ethics, and political ethics. By far the least studied and the most misunderstood of these three is domestic ethics. This is, in part, because it is neither as foundational as individual ethics nor as noble as political ethics. But it is also because the Aristotelian use of the term “domestic” includes far more than we normally associate with the English word—for in addition to the relationships between (1) husband and wife, and (2) parents and children, the Aristotelian domicile also includes the relationship between (3) masters and servants and enters into further relationships between (4) one domicile and another (thereby constituting the village or tribe). Thus understood, the domicile is the primary locus of interpersonal relationship and human socialityThe purpose of this class is to provide students with a systematic introduction to Aristotelian domestic ethics precisely as social ethics. Themes such as marriage, education, slavery, just employment, subsidiarity and the nature of interpersonal groups will be discussed.

Bibliography

Texts Encouraged for Purchase (all texts will be available in pdf form on Google Classroom)
Aristotle. Politics. Translated by C.D.C. Reeve. Hackett Publishing Company, 2017.
Aquinas. Commentary on Aristotle’s ‘Politics’. Translated by Richard J. Regan. Hackett Publishing Company, 2007.