Introduction to Ethics
PHIL 17a, Fall 2016
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 1:00-1:50
Instructor: Ben Sherman
Office: Rabb Graduate Center rm. 306
Email:
Office Hours: Monday 11:00-noon, Wednesday noon-1:00
Course Description
This course offers an introduction to ethical theory and ethical reasoning. Our readings will include excerpts from important historical and modern texts that aim at helping us to think clearly about how people ought to live, and avoid common confusions about morality.
Learning Goals
• Acquiring a familiarity with some of the most influential ethical positions, debates, and lines of inquiry
• Developing the skills involved in good ethical thinking: analysis of problems and questions, judicious interpretation, careful argumentation, and awareness of context and nuance
Laptop Policy
No laptops, please, as they are apt to distract from class discussions.
Academic Integrity
All material submitted for a grade should be the student’s own original, independent work. All uses of others’ work should be properly documented through notes and citations. Unauthorized collaboration, plagiarism, and any other violation of University policies on academic integrity will result in disciplinary action. The University policy on academic honesty is distributed annually as section 5 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Instances of alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the Office of Campus Life for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. Potential sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the University. If you have any questions about my expectations, please ask.
Disability
Please let me know as soon as possible if you have a documented disability on record at Brandeis. I will be glad to make the appropriate arrangements.
Readings
All students are required to have access to the readings from Ethics: The Essential Writings, ed. Marino and Ethics in Practice: An Anthology, ed. LaFollette, 3rd edition. All other required readings will be made available online.
Requirements
All students will be required to engage with the ethical questions presented in class, through careful consideration of the texts assigned, demonstrated in written work to be done at home and on exams in class. Work will be evaluated both on the basis of whether it shows knowledge of course materials, and whether it demonstrates the student’s ability to engage in original analysis and argumentation. While there will be no formal penalties for absence from class, a fair amount of important material will be presented only in lectures, and class discussions will be an important opportunity for students to hone their skills at reasoning, argument, and articulating positions.
Late Work: Assignments are to be turned in by the beginning of class the day they are due. Late work will be penalized a mark for each day past the deadline (e.g., homework one day late will fall from check to check-minus.)
Independent Work: All written work must be original independent work. There will be no collaboration on homework assignments or exams.
Communications. The course will have a mailing list on LATTE. Information about snow days, changed deadlines, and so forth will be broadcast on that mailing list.
Grading Schema:
4-6 page paper, 15%
Midterm exam, 20%
7-10 page paper, 25%
Final exam, 30%
Homework assignments, 10%
Class Schedule
(“EEW#” indicates Marino’s Ethics: The Essential Writings anthology, and the number of the selection. “EP #” indicates LaFollette’s Ethics in Practice anthology, and the number of the selection. Readings marked “Latte” will be available on the class website.) Any changes will be announced in class in advance.
Thursday, 8/25: Welcome and Introduction
Part I: What Is Ethics, and Why Should We Bother?
Monday, 8/29: Ethics vs. Religion (See handout on Latte)
Wednesday, 8/31: Joel Feinberg, “Psychological Egoism” (Latte)
Thursday, 9/1: Mary Midgley, “Trying Out One’s New Sword” (EEW 14)
Note: No class Monday 9/5
Wednesday, 9/7: Naïve Relativism, Egoism and Amoralism (See handout on Latte)
Part II: Moral Theories
Thursday, 9/8-Monday 9/12: Natural Law: The Thomistic Tradition
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Question XCIV (EEW 5; you can skip the first and sixth articles)
Wednesday, 9/14: Natural Law: The Enlightenment Tradition
John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, Ch. 2 (Latte)
Optional: Ch. 3-4
Thursday, 9/15: cont’d
John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, Ch. 5 (Latte)
Monday, 9/19: Hume’s challenge to natural law theories
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals Section I-II (EEW 7,
pp. 152-162)
Wednesday, 9/21: cont’d
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals Section III (EEW 7,
pp. 162-179)
Thursday, 9/22: cont’d
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals Appendix I (EEW 7, pp.
179-187)
Monday, 9/26: Kant
Immanuel Kant, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals First
Section (EEW 8, pp. 191-203)
Weds, 9/28: cont’d
Immanuel Kant, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals Second
Section (EEW 8, pp. 203-224)
Thursday, 9/29: cont’d
Immanuel Kant, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals Second Section, cont’d (EEW 8, pp. 203-224)
Note: No class Monday 10/3
Weds, 10/5: Utilitarianism
Jeremy Bentham, excerpt from Principles of Morals and Legislation (Latte)
John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism Chapter II (EEW 9, pp. 228-48)
Thursday, 10/6: cont’d
John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism Chapter IV (EEW 9, pp. 249-55)
4-6 page paper due
Monday, 10/10: Modern Deontology
H. D. Ross, The Right and the Good, Chapter 2, beginning to first section
division (Latte)
Note: No class Weds 10/12
Thursday, 3/4: Modern Virtue Ethics
Rosalind Hursthouse, “Virtue Ethics” (EP 4)
Note: No class Monday, 10/17
Weds, 10/19: Review
Thursday, 10/20: Mid-term Exam
Note: No class Monday 10/24
Part III: Putting Theory into Practice
Note: From here on, the schedule is tentative. Other readings and topics might be selected, on the basis of student suggestions and surveys.
Topic 1: Socio-economic Justice
Tuesday, 10/25 (Note: Brandeis Monday) John Rawls, “A Theory of Justice” (EP 53)
Weds, 10/26: Robert Nozick, “The Entitlement Theory of Justice” (EP 54)
Thursday, 10/27: Iris Marion Young, “Displacing the Distributive Paradigm” (EP 55)
Topic 2: Punishment
Monday, 10/31: James Rachels, “Punishment and Desert” (EP 48)
John Doris, “Out of Character” (EP 49)
Weds, 11/2: Wright, Cullen, and Beaver, “Does Punishment Work?” (EP 50)
Topic 3: The Death Penalty
Thursday, 11/3: Louis P. Pojman, “In Defense of the Death Penalty” (EP 51)
Monday, 11/7: Jeffrey Reiman, “Against the Death Penalty” (EP 52)
Topic 4: Drug Legalization
Weds, 11/9: John Stuart Mill, “Freedom of Action” (EP 29)
James Q. Wilson, “Against the Legalization of Drugs” (EP 31)
Thursday, 11/10: Husak—Why We Should Decriminalize Drug Use (EP 32)
Topic 5: Cloning
Monday, 11/14: John Harris, “‘Goodbye Dolly?’ The Ethics of Human Cloning” (EP 26)
Weds, 11/16: Leon Kass, “The Wisdom of Repugnance” (EP 27)
Topic 6: Artificial Intelligence
Thursday, 11/17: John P. Sullins, “When Is a Robot a Moral Agent?” (Latte)
David Gelernter, “Artificial Intelligence Is Lost in the Woods” (Latte)
Topic 7: World Hunger
Monday, 11/21: Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” (EP 57)
Note: No class on Weds 11/23 or Thurs 11/24
Monday, 11/28: John Arthur, “Famine Relief and the Ideal Moral Code” (58)
Topic 8: Physician-Assisted Suicide
Weds, 11/30: Tom Beauchamp, “Justifying Physician-Assisted Deaths” (EP 6)
Thursday, 12/1: J. David Velleman, “Against the Right to Die” (EP 7)
Topic 9: Gun Control
Monday, 12/5: Hughes and Hunt, “The Liberal Basis of the Right to Bear Arms” (EP 33)
Hugh LaFollette, “Gun Control” (EP 34)
7-10 page paper due
Wednesday, 12/7: Final class catch-up and review
Final Exam Tuesday, December 13, 9:15-12:15