The relationship between ethical reflection and culture is complex and often contested. Since the rationalization processes of modernity¿from the seventeenth century onward¿Western philosophy has frequently treated moral reasoning as independent from cultural conditions. This tendency to universalize ethics without regard to its social or symbolic embeddedness has been increasingly questioned. Theoretical critiques of liberal individualism and the multiple crises of rationalization have exposed the deep cultural entanglements of our moral orientation.
This course begins by exploring that foundational question: Can there be a universal ethics across cultural diversity? To answer it, we will examine contributions from anthropology, moral psychology, and the philosophy of evolution, alongside discussions on relativism, pluralism, and multiculturalism. These questions are not only philosophical, but also political: they concern the legitimacy of judging, comparing, or even intervening in other cultural value systems.
As the course progresses, we will examine how cultural identity shapes moral reasoning, and how the struggle for recognition has become central to contemporary political ethics. Students will be introduced to the intellectual traditions that theorize recognition and identity politics, and the controversies that emerge from debates on multiculturalism, decolonial thought, and intersectionality. Special attention will be paid to hybrid and situated forms of identity that challenge both liberal universalism and essentialist culturalism.
Finally, the course will investigate how cultural frameworks may hinder moral autonomy. We will analyze how ideologies, implicit biases, and microaggressions can reproduce structural inequalities and shape individuals' moral perceptions without their awareness. In doing so, we will assess the moral responsibility individuals and communities bear for perpetuating¿often unintentionally¿forms of harm rooted in cultural prejudice.
Through this journey, students will develop the conceptual tools to critically assess the ethical dimensions of culture and to reflect on their own moral identities in relation to broader historical and political structures.Each week will focus on one topic, as specified in the schedule below. For each topic, there will be a master session led by Gonzalo Velasco (GV in the schedule bellow) and a seminar led by Teresa Casas (TC). In the seminar we¿ll put into practice methodologies of cultural analysis with special emphasis on autoethnography¿cultural analysis that stems (and transcends) self-narrative.
Week 1: Ethics across Cultures ¿ Is there a Universal Morality?
Objective: To explore the tension between moral universalism and cultural diversity.
Theoretical session
James Rachels, The Challenge of Cultural Relativism
Jonathan Haidt, ¿The Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives¿ (TED Talk + summary of Moral Foundations Theory)
Practical session
Analysis of real-world moral dilemmas (e.g., female genital mutilation, traditional punishments)
Structured classroom debate: ¿Are there truly universal moral norms?¿
Week 2: Relativism, Pluralism, and Multiculturalism
Objective: To understand the limits of relativism and the ethical-political challenges of multicultural societies.
Theoretical session
Charles Taylor, Multiculturalism and the Politics of Recognition
Kwame Anthony Appiah, "Ethics in a World of Strangers" (intro to Cosmopolitanism)
Practical session
Case studies: the French ban on the Islamic veil, Merkel¿s multiculturalism speech
Classroom debate: ¿Should a society tolerate practices that violate its democratic values?¿
Week 3: The Origin of Morality ¿ Cooperation, Emotions, and Culture
Objective: To examine the emergence of moral behavior from evolutionary and philosophical perspectives.
Theoretical session
Michael Tomasello, Why We Cooperate (Ch. 1)
Hegel, Phenomenology of Spirit (section on moral consciousness)
Practical session
Videos by Frans de Waal on justice in primates
Group mapping of moral values across different cultures today
Week 4: The Cultural Approach to Morality ¿ Norms and Transgression
Objective: To understand morality as a form of cultural order and resistance.
Theoretical session
Norbert Elias, The Civilizing Process (excerpt)
Richard Sennett, Respect (introduction)
Practical session
Screening: I May Destroy You (Ep. 9), This is America (Childish Gambino)
Scene analysis: what kinds of behavior are socially punished¿and why?
Week 5: Cultural Determinism and Ideology
Objective: To reflect on how much of our moral identity is culturally pre-shaped.
Theoretical session
Louis Althusser, Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses
Slavoj ¿i¿ek, The Sublime Object of Ideology (intro)
Fernando Broncano, Subjects in the Fog (chapter on ideology)
Practical session
Critical analysis of advertising and political slogans
Discussion: ¿Do we choose our identities?¿
Week 6: Responsibility for Implicit Biases
Objective: To examine moral accountability in the face of structural prejudice.
Theoretical session
Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice (testimonial injustice)
Review of empirical research on implicit bias
Practical session
In-class application of Harvard¿s Implicit Association Test
Group reflection on micro-injustices in everyday environments
Week 7: Microaggressions and Cultural Blameworthiness
Objective: To evaluate the ethical significance of microaggressions and cultural insensitivity.
Theoretical session
Regina Rini, The Ethics of Microaggressions
(Optional) Sara Ahmed, The Promise of Happiness (excerpts)
Practical session
Role-playing microaggression scenarios
Discussion: how intention, impact, and context shape moral responsibility
Week 8: K. Anthony Appiah ¿ The Ethics of Identity
Objective: To explore the relationship between identity, autonomy, and recognition.
Theoretical session
Appiah, The Ethics of Identity (Chapters 1¿2)
Introduction to ethical cosmopolitanism
Practical session
Socratic debate: ¿Do identities empower or limit us?¿
Text commentary and group dialogue
Week 9: Identity Politics and the Struggle for Recognition
Objective: To understand the philosophical stakes of identity-based political claims.
Theoretical session
Axel Honneth, The Struggle for Recognition (excerpts)
Nancy Fraser, ¿Recognition or Redistribution?¿
Practical session
Screening: The Handmaid¿s Tale (selected episode), I Am Not Your Negro
Group analysis: political strategies of visibility and resistance
Week 10: Responses to Identity Politics Critiques
Objective: To analyze liberal and Marxist critiques of identity politics.
Theoretical session
Mark Lilla, The Once and Future Liberal (excerpts)
Nancy Fraser continued
Practical session
Screening: Get Out, by Jordan Peele
Scene analysis: Bella and her editor in I May Destroy You
Week 11: Situated Knowledge and Intersectionality
Objective: To examine how knowledge is shaped by positionality and intersecting systems of oppression.
Theoretical session
Kimberlé Crenshaw, Mapping the Margins
Donna Haraway, Situated Knowledges (excerpt)
Practical session
Real-world case analysis (e.g. non-hegemonic feminisms)
Interactive activity: intersectional identity mapping
Week 12: Epistemic Injustice and Silencing
Objective: To explore the ethical dimensions of testimonial exclusion.
Theoretical session
José Medina, The Epistemology of Resistance (excerpt)
Contextual background on The Assistant
Practical session
Screening: The Assistant + I May Destroy You (Ep. 4)
Guided reflection and discussion
Week 13: Multiculturalism and Decolonial Approaches
Objective: To reflect on the right to narrate and epistemologies of the Global South.
Theoretical session
Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui, A Ch¿ixi World is Possible
(Optional) Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Epistemologies of the South
Practical session
Observation activity: who speaks in public space?
Group debate: cultural appropriation and voice
Week 14: Final Review and Exam Preparation
Objective: To consolidate concepts and prepare for the final assessment.
Theoretical session
Comprehensive review of key theories and debates
Concept map creation and Q&A
Practical session
Exam preparation workshop
Collaborative group study and discussio