The Ethical Life: Jewish Values in an Age of Choice is a new curriculum from JTS.

From political and financial scandals to rapid progress in biomedical science and technology, the complex issues of modern society are, at their core, issues of ethical and moral concern. Now more than ever, we require a solid understanding of how Jewish ethics can inform our discussions and decisions about the critical questions of the day. Judaism has a long history of wrestling with moral questions, responding to them in a way that considers all sides of an issue.

With Student Rabbi Anthony Lazarus Magrill.

Course Contents
1. Introduction:
  o The Centrality of Ethics to Jewish Life
  o Does Ethics Need God?
2. The Sources of Jewish Ethics:
   o Ethics and Halakhah (Law)
   o Ethics and Aggadah (Narrative)
   o Ethics and the Lived Experience—A Feminist Approach
3. The Ethical Dimensions of Food Production
4. Fracking: A Case Study in the Ethics of Neighborly Relations
5. Is Teshuvah Possible? Rethinking Mass Incarceration
6. Modern-Day Slavery and Our Ethical Responsibility
7. The Ethics of Torture and Just War
8. Advance Directives and the Ethics of End-of-Life Care
9. Disabilities and the Ethics of Inclusion
10.Surrogacy and the Ethics of Relationships
11.Better than Normal? The Ethics of Enhancement
12.Is Lying Ever Ethical?

Click here to download course contents.

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Non-members are very welcome - the course fee for non-members is £40 for 12 sessions.

Please contact Rivka Gottlieb with any questions.

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