Philosophy 212

Introduction to Ethics

Section 02MWF 10-10:50 Smiddy 114Fall 2006

Overview: This course is an introduction to the philosophical study of ethics. Philosophical ethics is traditionally divided into two branches, metaethics and normative ethics. Metaethicsasks such questions as: Can moral statements be true or false? Is morality objective, or just relative to a culture or even to an individual? How are moral claims justified, if at all? By contrast,normative ethicsasks what particular types of actions are right and wrong, and what particular types of character traits are valuable. We will examine what major historical figures such as Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche, and John Stuart Mill had to say in response to such questions; we will also consider the views of some contemporary philosophers. While the main focus of the course will be on ethical theory, a goal of the course will be to examine what implications the theories have for various real-life problems.

Professor: Craig Duncan

Email:

Professor Duncan's webpage:

Philosophy 212 coursepage:

Office hours and location: Dillingham 213, hours to be announced

Office phone: 274-350

Required Books

  • Steven M. Cahn and Peter Markie, Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary Issues, Third Edition (OxfordUniversity Press, 2006). Please purchase this edition,since a number of the selections in it are not found in earlier editions.

Course Requirements

  • Two5-7 page papers. Paper topics will be distributed in advance. You must write on one of the topics unless you submit an alternative topic in writing to me at least three days before the deadline and it is approved. Extensions on paper deadlines will be granted only in extraordinary circumstances; extension requests must be made in writing to me well in advance of the deadline. Papers not turned in on time will instantly receive a deduction worth one-third of a letter grade. This deduction will increase daily (including weekend days), adding up to a full letter grade deduction for a paper 7 days late, with steeper deductions thereafter at my discretion. Each paper will count 15% toward your overall grade. Due dates and topics will be announced 10-12 days in advance.
  • Three exams. There will be two hour-long exams and a final exam. The dates of the two hour-long exams will depend on how fast we cover the material; I will announce them at least 10 days in advance.Each hour-long exam will count 15% toward your overall grade. The final exam will take place from 7:30-10am on Tuesday, December 19th in the usual classroom. It will cover material from the whole course, though the emphasis will be on material from the last third of the course. The final exam will count 30% toward your overall grade.
  • Class Participation. Philosophy cannot be passively learned. It requires active engagement, both with the texts and with individuals in the form of discussion. For this reason class participation counts for 10% of your overall grade. In order to get a good participation grade, you must have excellent attendance, do the assigned reading, and take an active role in class discussions.

Important Note: All exams and papers must be completed to receive a passing grade for the course.

Order of Readings:

Dates and page numbers of reading assignments for each class period will be announced in the previous class period or sooner. This will allows us the flexibility to spend more time on subjects that the class finds interesting and/or difficult, and less time on other subjects If you miss a class, you will be responsible for learning the reading assignment for the next class, if you do not already know. All the readings are in the Cahn/Markie anthology unless otherwise noted.

The Ethics of Authority: Divine Command Theory and Relativism

Plato, The Euthyphro

James Rachels, “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”

Craig Duncan, “Relativism Pro and Con” (online handout)

Utilitarianism

Jeremy Bentham, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (selections)

John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism

Craig Duncan, “Forms of Utilitarianism” (online handout)

Bernard Williams, “A Critique of Utilitarianism”

Peter Railton, “Alienation, Consequentialism, and the Demands of Morality” (on reserve)

Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”

John Arthur, “Famine Relief and the Ideal Moral Code”

Kantian Moral Theory

Richard Whately, “A Critique of the Golden Rule” (in-class handout)

Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Sections 1 and 2

Onora O’Neil, “Consistency in Action”

Judith Jarvis Thomson, “The Trolley Problem”

Nietzsche’s Critique of Morality

Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (selections)

Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals (selections)

Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols (selections)

Virtue Ethics

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (selections)

Martha Nussbaum, “Non-relative Virtues”

James Rachels, “The Ethics of Virtue”

Rosalind Hursthouse, “Virtue Theory and Abortion”

Teaching Policies:

Attendance

In my lectures I will often introduce material that is not covered in the reading assignments. You will be held responsible for knowing this material. If you do not come to class, you will not know this material, and your performance on exams will suffer. So come to class.

Also, attendance is a significant part of your class participation grade. Everyone is allowed two absences, no questions asked. Absences beyond that will hurt your participation grade. Coming late to class will also detract significantly from your participation grade. So don't be late. Note, too, that very good attendance by itself does not guarantee a high participation grade; participation during class is necessary too. For example, someone who had perfect attendance but who rarely volunteered comments in class would probably get no higher than a Cparticipation grade.

Academic Conduct

Students are expected to conform to the Standards of Academic Conduct printed in the Student Handbook. Please familiarize yourself with these standards. Violations will be reported to the Ithaca College Conduct Review Board. Additionally, you will receive a grade of zero on any assignment that is not completed according to these standards.

Plagiarism is one very serious violation of these standards. I will not tolerate it. There are good reasons for my zero-tolerance policy—reasons well summarized by the philosopher Hugh LaFollette, from whom I quote below:

Why Shouldn't I Plagiarize?

(1)It undercuts the aims of education. If you plagiarize you will not learn the skills you should learn—you are merely copying someone else's words and ideas—and you already knew how to do that.

(2)It is theft. And all theft is wrong, whether or an idea or an object.

(3)You harm other students. By plagiarizing you make professors more suspicious of students. This encourages them to make assignment that are plagiarism-proof rather than ones that are educationally sound.

(4)You will get caught. Think about it for a minute: if you plagiarize from a good source—one that is likely to help you with your grade—the prof may well know (or can easily find) the source. And if your writing style changes drastically from sentence to sentence or from paper to exam, that will be obvious even to a casual observer. To plagiarize well—to plagiarize in a way that is likely to land you a decent grade and minimize the chance you will get caught—you would have to know the material so well that it would easier—and more educationally beneficial—to write the essay yourself.[1]

Classroom Behavior.

I care about your education, and I put a lot of time into preparing lectures and classroom activities. Hence it is disrespectful not to give me your attention in class. If you cannot do this, please stay home.

Special Needs

If you have a special need owing to an identified disability, please let me know. I am happy to work with you together with the office of Academic Support Services for Students with Disabilities. You should contact them at x4-1005.

[1] From the website of Hugh LaFollette (http:/