ETHICS 228S · also PHIL 228S
Bad Guys and the Greater Good
Jesse Summers
Description from DukeHub
When and why do the ends justify the means? This course will consider villains of all kinds: those who are mistaken about what’s good, those who do only their small part as “cogs in the machine,” those who are intentionally transgressive as a social protest or to make art, those with “dirty hands” because of their occupations, and those generally doing bad for the greater good. The course is philosophical in its approach to ethical questions and will draw heavily on examples from biography, literature, and film.
Skills
No skill passed the confidence bar. Weak matches go to review instead of this page: an AI pass that has to quote the description, then a person.
AI-resilient: 2 of 5
- No: Physical, lab or field work
- No: Live work with people
- Yes: Judgment someone is accountable for · "ethical"
- No: A craft you practice with your hands or body
- Yes: Small, in-person format · seminar, 18 seats per section
The checks lean on Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025), which found generative AI applies least to physical work and hands-on work with people. A signal, not a promise. How the score works
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