A fall 2026 course with Seth Tichenor · Part 1
Philosophical Ethics
Principles & Approaches
Eleven Sunday conversations on the most perennial questions in ethics. What is good? What do we owe? What is evil? The aim isn't to settle on one answer, but to see what each question opens up, through thinkers from ancient Athens, India and China to the present day.
- When
- Sundays, 1–3pm
- Where
- The Catalyst
264 W. Marine Drive, Astoria - Runs
- October 4 – December 13
11 sessions - Cost
- Free
No registration needed
Is this for you?
If you've ever wondered what makes something right, you're ready.
No background needed
You don't need to have read any philosophy. Everyday experience of hard choices is all the preparation this class asks for.
Drop in any week
Each Sunday takes up its own question. Come to one or all eleven, and join whenever you can.
Many voices, no single answer
Every question is explored through thinkers from different cultures, eras and positions. The goal is to see what's at stake, not to be told what to think.
Your guide
Seth Tichenor
Philosofarian's co-founder and Preceptor, Seth brings a background in South Asian and comparative philosophy and nearly three decades of teaching.
Every Sunday, 1–3pm
Eleven questions
Each week takes up one perennial question and sets thinkers from different cultures, eras and philosophical positions in conversation with one another.
1Sunday, Oct 4
Introduction
What is “ethics,” and what is its relationship to philosophy?
2Sunday, Oct 11
Good
What does “good” mean?
ThinkersPlato · J.S. Mill · the Dhammapada · Friedrich Nietzsche
3Sunday, Oct 18
Duty
What is the moral significance of duty?
ThinkersImmanuel Kant · the Bhagavad Gītā · Epictetus
4Sunday, Oct 25
Consequences
What is the moral significance of the consequences of one's actions?
ThinkersJ.S. Mill · Peter Singer · the Abhidhamma
5Sunday, Nov 1
Virtue
What does it mean to be “virtuous”?
ThinkersAristotle · Wáng Yángmíng · Friedrich Nietzsche
6Sunday, Nov 8
Evil
What do we mean by “evil”?
ThinkersPlotinus · Buddhaghoṣa · Saint Augustine · Hannah Arendt
7Sunday, Nov 15
Relativism
Is all of ethics determined by circumstances or perspectives?
ThinkersDavid Hume · James Rachels · Charles Taylor
8Sunday, Nov 22
Other Cultures
Can ethics be meaningfully discussed across cultures?
ThinkersDavid Wong · Eliot Deutsch · Ibn Khaldūn
9Sunday, Nov 29
Religion
Should religious ideas guide ethical judgments?
ThinkersSaint Thomas Aquinas · William James · Friedrich Nietzsche
10Sunday, Dec 6
Justice
What is “justice,” and what is its place in ethical life?
ThinkersPlato · John Rawls · Karl Marx · Hán Fēizǐ
11Sunday, Dec 13
Purpose & the Good Life
What does it mean to “live well”?
ThinkersAristotle · Marcus Aurelius · Zhuāngzǐ · Michel de Montaigne
Meet the thinkers
Twenty-five centuries, many traditions
The voices you'll meet across the eleven sessions, grouped by where and when they wrote.
Greece & Rome
Plato
Socrates' student; dialogues on the good and on justice.
Aristotle
Ethics as cultivating virtue in order to flourish.
Epictetus
Formerly enslaved Stoic teacher: master what is yours to control.
Marcus Aurelius
Stoic emperor; author of the Meditations.
Plotinus
Founder of Neoplatonism; evil as an absence of good.
Saint Augustine
Bishop of Hippo; free will and the problem of evil.
South Asia
The Dhammapada
Verses of the Buddha on mind and conduct.
The Bhagavad Gītā
Krishna counsels Arjuna on duty and action.
The Abhidhamma
Buddhist analysis of mind and the intention behind action.
Buddhaghoṣa
Great commentator; author of The Path of Purification.
China
Zhuāngzǐ
Daoist sage of spontaneity, play and perspective.
Hán Fēizǐ
Legalist: order through law, reward and punishment.
Wáng Yángmíng
Neo-Confucian; the unity of knowing and acting.
The Islamic world
Ibn Khaldūn
Historian of how societies cohere, rise and fall.
Europe
Thomas Aquinas
Natural law, joining Aristotle with Christian thought.
Michel de Montaigne
Essayist of doubt, custom, happiness, and the examined life.
David Hume
Morality rooted in sentiment rather than reason.
Immanuel Kant
Duty, practical reason, and the categorical imperative.
John Stuart Mill
Utilitarianism: the greatest happiness principle.
Karl Marx
Values and the structures of economic life.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Questioned where “good” and “evil” come from.
The modern conversation
William James
Pragmatist; on religion and the will to believe.
Hannah Arendt
The role of evil in ordinary life.
John Rawls
Justice as fairness; the veil of ignorance.
Charles Taylor
Moral meaning in the modern world.
Eliot Deutsch
Moral depth across cultures.
James Rachels
Influential critic of cultural relativism.
Peter Singer
Consequences, animals and effective altruism.
David Wong
Pluralistic relativism across Chinese and Western ethics.
Plan your visit
It's free. Just walk in.
Class meets at The Catalyst, Philosofarian's home in downtown Astoria. Come a few minutes early to settle in and find a seat.
- Address
- The Catalyst
264 W. Marine Drive
Astoria, Oregon - Cost
- Free. No registration.
- Parking
- Street parking nearby
- Bring
- Curiosity. A notebook if you like.
Questions
Good to know
Can I join partway through?
Yes. Each Sunday takes up its own question, so you can come any week without catching up.
Do I need to register or pay?
No. The class is free. Just show up Sunday at 1pm.
Is there any reading?
None required. If you'd like to go deeper, Seth is happy to suggest optional readings. Just ask.
Will I be told what's right?
No. The class compares approaches rather than handing down answers, so you'll leave with sharper questions and more ways of thinking them through.
Is there class Thanksgiving weekend?
Yes. We meet as usual on Sunday, November 29.
What else is happening at The Catalyst?
Seth is also teaching The Arc of Indian Philosophy on Wednesday mornings and Saturday afternoons. It's free and drop-in too.
Talk. Think. Belong.
Sundays, 1–3pm at The Catalyst.
Questions? gadriela@gmail.com