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This course introduces students to philosophy via a careful and nuanced examination of contemporary hot-button issues in ethics. The goals of the course are the following:
The students should learn varying views on the topics, as well as the arguments for and against them.
The students should learn how to critically evaluate arguments on these topics, and, by extension, arguments in general.
The students should be introduced to various tools from the philosopher's toolbox, e.g. logic, critical thinking, conceptual analysis, identifying fallacious and cogent reasoning, clarifying and reconstructing murkily presented arguments, as well as learning how to spot errors in the use of empirical data.
Students should improve their ability to formulate and defend their own ethical views, and argue for them in a way that is charitable to their opponents.
Students should also learn how various ethical theories relate to specific topics in applied ethics.
Further information can be found on the syllabus page. Below is the schedule of readings, exams, etc. by date.
Course Reading Schedule:
Note - you should read the material and do the homeworks by the date listed next to the reading/homework, unless otherwise noted.
Section 1 - Theory:
James Rachels – The Elements of Moral Philosophy
August 31
Chapter 2 - The Challenge of Cultural Relativism
Chapter 3 - Subjectivism in Ethics
[recommended, but not required reading, Chapter 1 - What is Morality?]
September 2
Chapter 7 - The Utilitarian Approach
Chapter 8 - The Debate Over Utilitarianism
Homework: Take the Moral Sense Test online. Write 1 - 2 pages (typed, double-spaced) on your reactions to the test, and try to determine what it is testing.
September 7 - NO CLASSES - LABOR DAY
September 9
Chapter 9 - Are There Absolute Moral Rules?
Chapter 12 - The Ethics of Virtue
Section 2 - Abortion:
September 14
John Noonan - “An Almost Absolute Value in History”
Mary Anne Warren - “On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion”
Homework: Watch a segment of National Geographic's In the Womb, and discuss whether or not the empirical facts about fetal development bolster or undermine Warren's arguments. Due the 16th
September 16
Judith Jarvis Thomson - “A Defense of Abortion”
September 21
Jane English - “Abortion and the Concept of a Person” [Note - This, and other articles not freely available on the web, are behind a password-protected wall. Ask the instructor for the passwords]
Rosalind Hursthouse - “Virtue Ethics and Abortion”
September 23
Hursthouse continued
Section 3 - Food Aid and Animals:
September 28
Peter Singer - "Famine, Affluence, and Morality"
September 30
Garrett Hardin - "Lifeboat Ethics: the Case Against Helping the Poor"
October 5
Peter Singer - "All Animals Are Equal"
start Bonnie Steinbock - "Speciesism and the Idea of Equality"
October 7
Finish Steinbock
Read Time's The Real Price of Cheap Food.
Guest Speaker - Elizabeth Foreman (SLU) on non-Utilitarian arguments against harming animals
Homework - Explain and assess the arguments made by Foreman (1 - 2 pages typed, double-spaced, due the 12th)
Section 4 - Euthanasia:
October 12
James Rachels - "Active and Passive Euthanasia"
Dan Brock - "Voluntary Active Euthanasia"
October 14 - Rachels/Brock continued
Topical Resources (not required reading):
Voluntary Euthanasia (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
October 19
October 21 - Midterm [Midterm Study Guide]
Section 5 - Same-Sex Marriage:
October 26
Adele Mercier - “On the Nature of Marriage: Somerville on Same-Sex Marriage”
October 28
Patrick Lee - "Marriage, Procreation, and Same-Sex Unions"
November 2
November 4
Brook Sadler - “Re-Thinking Civil Unions and Same-Sex Marriage”
Quiz on the readings from 10/26-11/4
Topical Resources (not required reading):
Homosexuality (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Section 6 - Patriotism, Torture, and Pre-Emptive War:
November 9
Paul Gomberg - "Patriotism is Like Racism"
November 11
Alasdair MacIntyre - "Is Patriotism a Virtue?"
November 16
Uwe Steinhoff - "Torture - The Case for Dirty Harry"
November 18
Jessica Wolfendale - "Training Torturers: A Critique of the 'Ticking Bomb' Argument"
Homework (due the 23rd): Compare and contrast Steinhoff and Wolfendale. Whose arguments are superior, and why? Weigh in with your own criticisms and arguments. Do you believe that torture is ever justified? If so, when and why? If not, why not? [around 1-2 pages double spaced, typed]
related links: (optional reading)
Glenn Greenwald: What Every American Should Be Made to Learn About the IG Torture Report
Andrew Sullivan: Open Letter to President Bush on Torture
The U.S. Justice Department 'Torture Memo'
November 23
Just War Theory (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy), Sections 1 and 2
November 25 - Thanksgiving break - NO CLASSES
November 30
Just War Theory (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy), Sections 3 through 5
Homework - Summarize, in your own words, section 3 from the entry [1-2 pages, due December 2]
December 2
Michael Walzer (author of Just and Unjust Wars) talk transcript - Arguing About War
Topical Resources (not required reading/listening):
JustWarTheory.com (Various resources maintained by Mark Rigstad)
War (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Proportionality and the Laws of War: Conflicting Interpretations. A panel talks with profs. Hurka, Shue, Rodin.
Section 7 - Conclusion: Bullshit and Public Discourse
December 7
Harry Frankfurt - "On Bullshit"
Bullshit from the left and the right: Excerpts from Coulter and Beck, and Moore and Olberman.
Final Exam Date: 12/15, 10:30-12:30