Click the links to access the pdfs. Handouts will be uploaded to this folder after each class.
What is morality?
1. Introduction. (January 23)
Shafer Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, Introduction.
2. Can we have morality without religion? (January 26)
Shafer Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, Chapter 5
Plato, Euthyphro (extract)
The Economist, “Glad to be Godless”
3. Is ethics “culturally relative?” (January 30)
James Rachels, “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”
Horace Miner, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema”
4. Is objective ethical truth a thing? (February 2)
Russ Shafer-Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, Chapter 21 ("Eleven Arguments Against Moral Objectivity": please ignore the first two chapters in the pdf!)
What makes your life go well for you?
5. Enjoyment (Hedonism) (February 6)
Shafer Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, Chapters 1 and 2.
Robert Nozick, “The Experience Machine”
6. Getting what you want (The Desire-satisfaction Theory) (February 9)
7. Fulfilling your human nature (Perfectionism) (February 13)
Thomas Hurka, The Best Things in Life, chapters 4 and 5
8. A happy life vs. a meaningful life (February 16)
Susan Wolf, “Meaning in Life”
Should we maximize overall wellbeing?
9. Act Utilitarianism (February 23)
Shafer Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, Chapter 9
John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (extract)
10. Rule Utilitarianism. (February 27)
Shafer Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, Chapter 10
Brad Hooker, “Rule Consequentialism” (Extract 1)
11. Act vs. Rule Utilitarianism (March 1)
J.J.C. Smart, “Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism”
Brad Hooker, “Rule Consequentialism” (Extract 2)
12. Does Utilitarianism ask too much of us? (March 5)
Bernard Williams, “A Critique of Utilitarianism” (extract)
Ian Parker, “The Gift”
13. APPLICATION: Our treatment of non-human animals. (March 8)
Peter Singer, “A Utilitarian Defense of Animal Liberation”
Bonnie Steinbock, “Speciesism and the Idea of Equality”
14. CLASS DEBATE: Are we morally required to be vegetarian? (March 12)
Peter Singer, “A Vegetarian Philosophy”
Nick Zangwill, "If You Care About Animals, it is Your Moral Duty to Eat Them"
Is ethics about following universal rules?
15. The Kantian Principle of Universalizability (March 15)
Shafer Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, Chapter 11
Immanuel Kant, “Morality and Rationality” (sections A-F)
16. Assessing the Principle of Universalizability (March 26)
Onora O’Neill, “Consistency in Action”
William Nelson, Morality: What’s in It for Me? (extract)
17. The Kantian Principle of Humanity. (March 29)
Shafer Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, Chapter 12
Immanuel Kant, “Morality and Rationality” (section G)
18. Two challenges to Kantianism (April 2)
Peter Godfrey-Smith, “Philosophers and Other Animals”
Rae Langton, “Maria von Herbert’s Challenge to Kant”
19. APPLICATION: Sexual Objectification (April 5)
Lina Papadaki, "Feminist Perspectives on Objectification"
20. Is it morally okay to criticize sexual preferences? (April 9)
Amia Srinivasan, “Does anyone have the right to sex?” (optional: podcast interview here)
Robin Zheng, “Why Yellow Fever isn’t Flattering: A Case Against Racial Fetishes”
21. Is it okay to lie to get laid? (April 12)
Tom Dougherty, “Sex, Lies and Consent”
What sort of person should you be?
22. Virtue Ethics (April 16)
Russ Shafer Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, pp. 272-282
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (extract)
23. Challenges to Virtue Ethics (April 19)
Russ Shafer Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, pp. 282-294
Rosalind Hursthouse, “Normative Virtue Ethics”
24. APPLICATION: Abortion (Against) (April 23)
Don Marquis, “An Argument that Abortion is Wrong” (extract)
25. Abortion (For) (April 26)
Judith Jarvis Thomson, “A Defense of Abortion”
26. Wrapping up (April 30)