"If we believe absurdities, we
will commit atrocities." Voltaire
"These are not idle questions
we discuss, but how we ought to live our lives." Plato
"Few men think, yet all men
hold opinions."
PHILOSOPHY 104: Introduction to
Ethics – SYLLABUS
Makinster – January 2009
MWTThF 9:00 – 11:50 AM
(This syllabus is not a
contract and may be changed without prior notice.)
AGENDA
This course will introduce
you to the methods and ideas philosophers use to investigate moral judgments.
We will raise such questions as:
- What is a "moral issue?"
- What kinds of reasoning and evidence can we use to
better understand moral issues?
- How can we promote constructive moral dialogue?
- How do we distinguish moral truth (if it exists) from
opinion? Are some opinions more reasonable or useful than others?
OBJECTIVES
- You are expected to begin acquiring a "skill
set," including the ability to identify and clarify moral issues, to
detect bad logic and specious evidence when they occur in moral argument,
to give a fair hearing to alternative points of view, and to make a
reasonable case for your own views.
- You are expected to use your skills, as you continue to
acquire and improve them, to investigate some major moral issues presented
in this class.
- Your written work, exams, and class participation
should demonstrate that you are making progress on items #1 and #2 above.
ASSIGNMENTS/GRADING
Needless to say, you will
not be graded on what conclusions you draw. You will be graded on how
reasonably you draw them, and how well you express them.
- A series of "take-home" essay questions over
the assigned readings.
- One term paper, due toward the end of the
semester. You must submit a
proposed topic by mid-semester, including at least three sources you
intend to use (excluding Wikipedia or other
encyclopedias).
- A final exam, essay format, to be taken during class
time.
Each take-home essay will
be weighted equally. The paper will be worth approx. 30% of your grade. I may
raise your grade, at my discretion, because of improvement, regular attendance
and quality participation, or an unusually outstanding performance on a
particular assignment.
BOOKS
These texts are required.
- THE LAST DAYS OF SOCRATES, Plato (Penguin Classics)
- ETHICS: DISCOVERING RIGHT AND WRONG, Louis Pojman (
- HOW ARE WE TO LIVE?, Peter Singer (Prometheus)
- A PRACTICAL COMPANION TO ETHICS, Weston (
This text is recommended
only, but if you can get it, do so... it's better than Pojman.
- RIGHT AND WRONG, Christina Hoff Sommers
(HBJ)
TOPICAL OUTLINE
- Philosophical Methods of Inquiry (Introduction)
- Examples of Ethical Inquiry and Dialogue (Plato)
- Some Main Problems of Moral Philosophy (Pojman)
- Selected Issues in Contemporary Ethics (Singer)
HOW TO REACH ME
- EMAIL (most reliable method) =
anta.baka@gmail.com
·
VOICEMAIL
= 413-775-1265
BASIC
REQUIREMENTS
- You are responsible for knowing and abiding by all
requirements explained in your current Student Handbook
.
- Plan to attend class regularly. If you must miss class,
speak to me, preferably in advance, about making up the work. Undue,
unexcused absence can lead to a grade of "F." If you arrive after I have taken
attendance, it is your responsibility to make sure I count you as present.
- Plan to submit work on time. If this is ever
impossible, speak to me about it. Allowances can be made for legitimate
reasons, but I reserve the right to penalize for lateness.
- Although substance is more important than style, if
your work is illegible or otherwise unacceptable in form, you may be asked
to resubmit it.
- I may, at my discretion, require an oral examination
over some part of the material, for a particular student, if warranted by
uneven or anomalous performance.
- If you choose to drop the course, you must do the
required paperwork to avoid an "F."
- If you need to take an "I" for the course,
you MUST discuss this with me before the end of the semester. Failure to
do so may result in an "F" for the course.
- Cheating, including plagiarism, will result in an
automatic "F” for the Assignment AND the course. Plagiarism is
defined by the Modern Language
Association as the “act of using
another person’s ideas or expressions in your writing without
acknowledging the source...” Other academic offenses consist of
dishonesty, fraud, cheating, disruption of
teaching or any other activity which adversely affects the academic
process.
- In order to avoid class disruption, please turn off
cell phones and beepers during class time, and do not leave class to
answer cell phone calls. If you are on-call for work and therefore need an
exception, please talk to me. It goes without saying that iPods and similar devices should be left home.
- If you do not understand any part of these rules, or
are unsure of your current status in relation to them, it is YOUR
responsibility to ask me for clarification.
- If you have any special needs regarding health or
learning, please let me know ASAP. Self-disclosure is voluntary, but would
help me to address your needs.
__________________________________________________________________________
Take Home Essays
What I Want
To See In Your Essays
Show you
are familiar with the readings, lectures, and discussions. Explain yourself
clearly, give examples when appropriate, When asked to
evaluate, be fair and accurate. You do get credit for thinking. I do not expect
a comprehensive theory of the cosmos. If you do not understand how to approach
an essay, PLEASE feel free to seek clarification from me, but preferably BEFORE
the assignment is due. On time. Check the calendar for
due dates.
HARDCOPY
REQUIRED unless you make special arrangements with me.
Exam Questions -
PART ONE:
Answer ONE
and ONLY ONE of the following questions. Be sure to discuss the concept of
"expediting the good," regardless of which question you answer.
1. Why
does Euthyphro think it is right (or holy, or pious)
for him to prosecute his own father? What problems does Socrates find with Euthyphro’s attempts to justify his actions? Briefly, what
kinds of problems do we encounter when we try to invoke the gods (or God) -- or
any other authority -- as the source for moral decisions?
2. What
three general principles does Socrates use to decide whether he should escape
from jail? What reasons does Crito give in favor of
the jail-break plan? What reasons does Socrates give against it? On a Socratic
view, when do we have: 1. A duty to obey the law, 2.
No duty to obey the law, 3. A duty to defy the law?
PART TWO:
Answer ONE
and ONLY ONE of the following questions.
3. What
is the "Categorical Imperative?" Explain the concepts of
"universality" and "the kingdom of ends." On Kant’s view,
how do know whether some moral precept is in fact a moral "truth"?
Discuss some strong and weak points of the Categorical Imperative as a tool for
making moral decisions.
4. What
is the "Principle of Utility?" What is the difference between Act
Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism? What reasons are offered for and
against the Utilitarian approach (be sure to discuss
the "calculus of pleasure" and the means vs. ends problems). Discuss
some strong and weak points of the Principle of Utility as a tool for making
moral decisions.
PART THREE:
Answer ONE
and ONLY ONE of the following questions.
5. What
is the difference between Ethical Relativism and Moral Objectivism? Explain and
evaluate the basic arguments offered for each position, and the criticisms
offered against each position. What
difference does it make for personal conduct and public if we embrace one
position or the other? How does Hume’s discussion of skeptical doubt apply to
this issue? What is the open question problem?
6. What
is Ethical Egoism? What reasons might one cite for and against the position?
Distinguish between psychological and ethical egoism. What is the is-ought problem, and how does it apply to this
distinction? What is the demarcation
problem, and how does it apply to psychological egoism? Is altruism possible,
and if so, is it ethically desirable?
Exam Questions - How Are We To Live
PART ONE:
PART TWO:
Extra
Credit Essays -- Answer ONE and ONLY ONE of the following questions.
9. Discuss
Singer’s ideas about living ethically, ethical heroes, and the nature of
ethics. Discuss his evaluations of the ethics of Kant, Jesus, feminism, and
animal rights. (Chapters 8-9)
10. Discuss
Singer’s ideas about: 1) how we achieve meaning in our lives; 2) the concept of
"the good life; 3) the "point of view of the universe" and it’s
relation to reason and "the golden rule;" 4) how all this helps
define "living an ethical life" and to answer "why be ethical?
(Chapters 10-11)
Final Exam Questions:
Answer
these questions (#1 -3, plus #4 or # 5) )in class on
the date of final exam. You may not "pre-write" the essay. You may
bring notes, and may use your books.
1. If you found the Ring of Gyges, what should
you do with it, what would you do
with it, and why? Examine the question from the point-of-view of the various
moral philosophies we have discussed. Be sure to address the question, “Why be
moral?” Your answer should show your ability to approach a moral issue
constructively, in light of what we have studied.
2. Define “the Roshomon
effect” and its significance for moral dialogue. Explain the
metaphor of “falling into a dark hell,” and contrast it to Weston’s idea of
“the expanding circle” and “ethics of caring.”
Although the woodcutter is fallible and flawed - just as the other
characters - does the woodcutter present a way out of the moral predicament
without having solved the problem of truth?
3. Give a succinct (one or two
sentence) definition of each of these terms from the readings in Weston.
Discuss how each activity named helps or hinders constructive moral dialogue.
Examples would be helpful.
|
Split the difference. |
Expanding circle./Ethics of Caring |
Rationalizing. |
|
Right vs. right. |
Breaking set |
Judgmental (either/or) thinking. |
|
Intermediate impossible. |
Dogmatism. |
Appeals to authority. |
Answer ONE and ONLY ONE of the following questions.
4. Singer says that the prevailing
concept of self-interest in Western Civilization has resulted in social and
ecological crisis. Discuss that concept of self-interest, how it affects our
moral beliefs, and how that has led to social and ecological crisis. (Chapters
1-4)
5.
Singer suggests we reform the concept of self-interest in order to
pursue solutions to current social/ecological problems. Discuss some of his
major ideas about altruism and evolution, community, Axelrod’s
"tit-for-tat" (including how to "do better with
tit-for-tat"). How do these ideas contribute to an informed concept of
self-interest? (Chapters 5-7)
__________________________________________________________________________
***** YOUR TOPICAL PAPER *****
Recommended length = as long as it takes, typically
5-7 pages typed, double-spaced. Use the "3 to 30"rule: if it’s three
pages long, it had better be awfully good; if it’s 30 pages long, it had better
be awfully interesting.
Recommended style = Socratic inquiry, incorporating
Weston’s strategies when appropriate. Systematically look at evidence for both
sides of an issue, investigate how each position would criticize its opposite,
and how each would defend itself against criticisms. Be fair. If doing a
research paper or advocacy paper, do not rely too heavily on any one source.
You may
choose to accomplish the same ends through a different style, such as a short
story, parable, dialogue, play, etc. If you have a great idea for some project
you would like to do instead of a paper (video project, performance piece, art
project, etc.) talk to me as early as possible. Your project MUST be approved
in advance in order to receive credit.
HARDCOPY
required, unless you make some special arrangement with me.
===> Suggestion:
One approach that has been very successful in the past has
been to create a journal investigating some specific moral issue, with each
entry exploring how the philosophies we study might handle the issue. For
example: What questions, methods of
inquiry, and considerations would be brought to bear on gay marriage by
Socrates, Kant, Utilitarianism, etc.
Topical guidelines:
Select a
"moral issue" of interest to you (e.g., abortion, capital punishment,
gay rights, cruelty to animals, sexual fidelity, or any other issue you deem
morally important).
Explain why
you think it is a "moral" issue, rather than some other kind of issue
(political, legal, prudential, aesthetic, etc.). Yes, you will have to venture
some idea of what makes an issue a "moral" issue, rather than some
other kind of issue. Be careful not to end up sounding like Euthyphro
defining "piety."
Define
"pro" and "con" positions. Make a decent case for each
side. Make a decent case against each side. Use Weston’s mediation tools if
possible. Remember the example of Crito and Socrates,
and try to be as clear and reasonable. You might want to use Kantian,
Utilitarian, or Socratic approaches in making your case. You should definitely
discuss what "goods" are being aimed at, and what means are claimed
to expedite those ends. Take a stand, explaining whatever you think is the best
way to go on the issue. Do you think one position is more reasonable or
constructive than the alternative(s)? Do you think it is more reasonable to
suspend judgment? Can you redefine the issue in some way that allows you to
seek some compromise, or middle path? At any rate, make your position clear,
and make a reasonable case for it.
Above all,
remember Bishop Berkeley’s observation, "Few men
think, yet all men hold opinions.’ Show me (and show yourself) that you’ve
learned something!
See the
class calendar for the due date. Paper is due at class time on the day of the
final exam.
Good Luck
--- I’m eager to see your efforts.
CALENDAR – (subject to
change as needed)
|
DATE |
TOPIC & READINGS |
DUE |
|
1/6 |
Introduction: Course requirements,
basic concepts. |
|
|
1/7 |
Euthyphro (Plato) |
|
|
1/8 |
Crito (Plato) |
|
|
1/9 |
Making progress in ethics: Weston
(entire) |
Essay 1 or 2. |
|
1/12 |
Kant (Pojman) |
|
|
1/13 |
Utilitarianism (Pojman) |
|
|
1/14 |
Roshomon – Film and Discussion. |
|
|
1/15 |
Relativism (Pojman) |
Essay 3 or 4 |
|
1/16 |
Egoism (Pojman) |
|
|
1/19 |
MARTIN
LUTHER KING JR DAY --- NO CLASSES |
|
|
1/20 |
Singer, Ch 1 - 4 |
|
|
1/21 |
Singer, Ch 5 - 7 |
|
|
1/22 |
Singer, 8 - 11 |
Essay 5 or 6 |
|
1/23 |
Ring of Gyges
(Singer, Pojman) |
|
|
1/26 |
Final Exam |
Essay 7 or 8 |