"If we believe absurdities, we will commit atrocities

"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." Berkeley

PHILOSOPHY 144: Moral Issues – Makinster – SYLLABUS

(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 (Wadsworth)
HOW ARE WE TO LIVE?, Peter Singer (Prometheus)
A PRACTICAL COMPANION TO ETHICS, Weston (Oxford)

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) Available on Amazon.com or at Another Bookstore (across the street in the plaza with Dunkin Donuts), but not at B&N.

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.

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***** Philosophy 144 - Essays & Term Paper – Makinster *****

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.

Essay Questions - Readings from Plato & Pojman or Sommers

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 specific problems does Socrates find with each of Euthyphro’s attempts to justify his actions? In general, what kinds of problems do we encounter when we try to invoke the gods (or God) -- or any other authority, secular or sacred -- as the source for moral decisions? How does Jean-Paul Sartre’s quip about a “still, small voice” apply to these issues?

What reasons does Crito give in favor of the jail-break plan? What specific reasons does Socrates give against it? Explain the three general principles – Rational Reflection, Moral Rectitude, Just Agreements – and how Socrates uses them to reach his decision. 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? How does this discussion apply to issues such as civil disobedience and the “just war” theory?

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." From a Kantian perspective, how do know whether some moral precept is in fact a “necessary truth?” Discuss some strong and weak points of the Categorical Imperative as a tool for making moral decisions. Define Situation Ethics, and discuss how it may or may not be a “right vs. right (Weston)” response to Kant.

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 strong and weak points of the Principle of Utility as a strategy for moral decision-making, and whether Rachel’s suggestion of dove-tailing Kantian and Utilitarian approaches would or would not be helpful.

PART THREE:

Answer ONE and ONLY ONE of the following questions.

5. What is the difference between Ethical Relativism and “traditional” notions of moral truth (moral objectivism, moral realism, moral absolutism, etc.)? Explain and evaluate the basic arguments – diversity, tolerance, non-resolvability -- offered for relativism, and the criticisms offered against these reasons. Explain moral subjectivism and moral emotivism, and how Moore’s “open question” argument criticizes these positions. How does Hume’s discussion of skeptical doubt apply to this issue? What difference does it make for personal and public conduct if we embrace one position or the other?

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 the psychological/ethical distinction? What is the demarcation problem, and how does it apply to psychological egoism? Discuss the eros-agape model of love, and how it applies to this discussion? Are agape and altruism possible, and if so, are they morally desirable (remembering that “desirable” means “worthy of being desired”).

Essay Questions - How Are We To Live

PART ONE:

Answer ONE and ONLY ONE of the following questions.

7. 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 why Singer concludes that it has led to social and ecological crisis. Distinguish between ultimate choices and restricted choices, and the significance of both for answering the question, “How are we to live?” (Chapters 1-4)

8. 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 and “moral nets,” 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)

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 Question:

Answer this question in class on date of final exam. You may not "pre-write" the essay. You may use your notes and books.

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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 like the other characters - does the woodcutter present a way out of the moral predicament without having solved the problem of truth?

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***** 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 the various "pro" and "con" positions. Make a decent case for each side. Make a decent case against each side. Don’t load the case for one side or the other.

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. Discuss your conclusions. For example, do you think one position is more reasonable or constructive than the alternative(s)? Do you think it is more reasonable to suspend judgement? 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 - Fall 2008 (subject to change as needed))

DATE	TOPIC & READINGS	DUE
1/31	Introduction: Course requirements, basic concepts.
2/7	Film - RASHOMON
2/14	NO CLASS - HOLIDAY
2/21	Example of moral dialogue: Euthyphro (Last Days of Socrates)
2/28	Example of moral analysis: Crito (Last Days of Socrates)
3/7	Making progress on moral issues: Weston (entire) Discussion: What is a "moral" issue?	Essay 1 or 2
3/14	Pojman – KANT
3/21	Pojman- UTILITARIANISM
3/28	NO CLASS - HOLIDAY
4/4	Pojman – RELATIVISM	Essay 3 or 4
4/11	NO CLASS - HOLIDAY
4/18	Pojman – EGOISM
4/25	Singer – Chapters 1 – 4	Essay 5 or 6
5/2	Singer – Chapters 5 - 7
5/9	THANKSGIVING BREAK – no classes
5/16	Singer – Chapters 8 – Finish, The Ring of Gyges recap	Essay 7 or 8
5/23	Final Exam	Term papers, any revised or late essays, extra credit.