Phil 120: Ethics



Philosophy 127: Ethics

Whitman College – Spring 2003

Mitch Clearfield

clearfms@whitman.edu

office: Olin 237 office hours: Tuesday 10:00 - 11:00

office phone: 527-5853 Thursday 2:00 - 4:00

home phone: 529-3282 (10a – 9p only) or by appointment or drop in!

Course Description

The word ‘philosophy’ derives from Greek words meaning ‘love of wisdom’. So philosophy attempts to determine some of the deepest truths about our existence and the reality around us.

What distinguishes philosophy is not just the issues that it addresses, since some of these are also addressed by other fields (like science and religion). What is distinctive about philosophy is the way in which it attempts to answer those questions: through reason. Philosophers attempt to justify their views with arguments, laying out the strongest reasons in favor of their positions and responding to the strongest objections against them.

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that considers what is right and wrong, good and bad in human activities – in short, it tries to determine how we ought to live. In this course, we are going to use philosophical reasoning to examine what is a good (or bad) life, which actions we ought (or ought not) to take, and how answers to those questions affect how society ought (or ought not) to be structured.

Goals of the Course

The primary goal of the course is to help you refine and articulate your own moral viewpoint.

More specific goals toward achieving this include:

1. To gain an understanding of the issues and concepts of moral reasoning.

2. To explore some of the most important ethical theories in the history of Western philosophy.

3. To develop an appreciation of the relation between ethics and other theoretical and empirical inquiries.

4. To enhance the abilities to read, think, and write clearly in a philosophical way.

5. To sharpen general interpretive and analytical skills.

Class Format

Our class meetings will primarily focus on discussion of the readings and the larger issues related to them. I will sometimes also present important background or related views. As much as possible, however, you will have a chance to apply and evaluate the ideas that the texts present, and to propose and consider alternatives. In order to achieve our ultimate goal for the course, it is essential that each of you actively engage the material.

To help facilitate this, on Thursdays we will split into 2 smaller groups, one meeting at 11:00 and the other meeting at 1:00. Both groups will meet in Olin 341.

Texts to be Used

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, trans. Irwin, 2nd edition (Hackett)

Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, trans. Ellington (Hackett)

Bentham and Mill, Utilitarianism and Other Essays (Penguin)

Noddings, Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education (U. of California Press)

Additional readings will be either on reserve in the library or available as a course-pack to purchase from the Whitman bookstore.

High-Tech

1) I will often distribute important announcements, reminders, and clarifications through e-mail. It is your responsibility to check your account every day. There is also an e-mail list-server set up for you to contact each other. Messages sent to phil127@whitman.edu will be forwarded to everyone in the class.

2) All handouts and assignments, as well as lots of other useful stuff, will be available from the class website ().

Academic Honesty

All of the work that you submit in this course must be entirely your own. Of course, you can seek help in a variety of ways to prepare yourself for the writing assignments and the exam. So it is permitted (and even recommended!) for you to: consult additional readings, search for material on the internet, discuss your ideas with other students, exchange notes with other students, and read and discuss drafts of each other’s papers. If you do use someone else’s words or specific ideas in your written work, you must provide a proper citation to the source.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form. You have signed a statement indicating that you understand and will abide by the College’s policy on plagiarism. Any student caught plagiarizing will automatically fail the course, and may face more severe penalties from the College. (For more details, see the Student Handbook)

Summary of Requirements and Grading

Participation — 15% of your total grade

Our class meetings will primarily focus on conversation about the readings and the larger issues that they suggest. You are expected to be an active and productive participant in our conversations. To do this, you must carefully read (and sometimes re-read) the assigned texts before class, and come to our meetings with questions, issues, and ideas to discuss. There will occasionally be more specific assignments for you to complete. You are also expected to be a productive and contributing member of your research group. More details about expectations and grading standards are available on the class website.

Response Papers — 30% of your total grade

As we are examining the different views about ethics, it is important for you to reflect on the ideas presented and to develop your own thoughts. At least once each week (until we begin the student-led discussions) you should articulate and develop your views on the material in a brief essay. More details are provided on a separate sheet and available on the class website.

Research Project & Term Paper — 30% of your total grade (5% outline / 25% paper)

During the course of the semester, you will work with a small group of students to become the resident experts on a particular concrete ethical issue. You will research any relevant factual and theoretical background, as well as the major philosophical approaches to your topic. Throughout the semester, we will be drawing connections between the more general theories that we’ll be focusing on as a class and the particular topic that you’re researching. The last two weeks of class will be devoted to discussion of your research topics, led by each group.

At the end of the semester, each student will submit a complete, free-standing essay in which you articulate and defend a thoughtful, well-grounded position on your topic.

More details on specific steps will be provided as the semester progresses.

Oral Examination — 25% of your total grade

During the final exam period, I will conduct a brief (30 minute) oral examination of each student. The exam will be comprehensive, and may cover any of the material that we’ve read or discussed this semester. The focus will be on the general ethical theories and approaches, although we may also touch on issues relating to your particular research topic. This one-on-one conversation will give you the best opportunity to demonstrate that you have understood, synthesized, and reflected on the theories and ideas that we’ve examined throughout the semester. More details will be provided toward the end of the semester.

** NOTE **

You cannot receive a passing grade for the course if:

◦ You miss 10 or more classes, for any reason.

◦ You miss 3 or more response papers, for any reason.

◦ You miss or fail the oral exam.

Tentative Schedule of Topics and Assignments

Tue. Jan. 21 course introduction

Thu. Jan. 23 what is ethics? how is ethics done?

Kagan, Normative Ethics, ch. 1

Williams, Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy, ch. 1

Mon. Jan. 27 how is ethics done? cont.

Tue. Jan. 28 basic ideas of virtue ethics

Aristotle, Ethics, book I chs. 1-5 and 7-12

Thu. Jan. 30 virtues of character first response paper due

Aristotle, Ethics, book I ch. 13 and books II-III + syllabus quiz

Mon. Feb. 3 virtues of character, cont. choose research topics & groups

Tue. Feb. 4 virtue and friendship

Aristotle, Ethics, books VIII-IX

Thu. Feb. 6 virtue, friendship, and society

Mon. Feb. 10 weakness of the will

Aristotle, Ethics, book VII chs. 1-10

Tue. Feb. 11 pleasure and the good life

Aristotle, Ethics, book VII chs. 11-14 and book X

Thu. Feb. 13 virtue-based approaches to your research topics

readings TBA

Mon. Feb. 17 NO CLASS (Presidents’ Day)

Tue. Feb. 18 introduction to Kant and deontology group proposal due

Thu. Feb. 19 good will and duty no response paper due

Kant, Grounding, preface and ch. I

Mon. Feb. 24 the Categorical Imperative – universal law formula

Kant, Grounding, ch. II only 406-427

Tue. Feb. 25 the Categorical Imperative – ends-in-themselves formula

Kant, Grounding, ch. II only 427-445

Thu. Feb. 27 the Categorical Imperative – ends-in-themselves formula, cont.

Mon. Mar. 3 Kantian approaches to your research topics

readings TBA

Tue. Mar. 4 methods & strategies for your research projects

Thu. Mar. 6 deontology and society

Rawls, A Theory of Justice, excerpts

Mon. Mar. 10 deontology and society, cont. refined proposal

Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, excerpts & prelim bib due

Tue. Mar. 11 Mill’s utilitarianism

Mill, Utilitarianism, chs. 1-2

Thu. Mar. 13 Mill’s utilitarianism, cont.

((( S P R I N G B R E A K (((

Mon. Mar. 31 the case for utilitarianism

Mill, Utilitarianism, ch. 4

Shaw, “Arguing for Utilitarianism,” excerpts

Tue. Apr. 1 utilitarian approaches to your research topics

readings TBA

Thu. Apr. 3 utilitarianism and rights special response paper due

Mon. Apr. 7 utilitarianism and rights, cont.

Mill, Utilitarianism, ch. 5

Tue. Apr. 8 NO CLASS (Undergraduate Conference)

Thu. Apr. 10 beyond consequentialism and deontology

Scanlon, “Rights, Goals, and Fairness”

Mon. Apr. 14 background and introduction to ethics of care general outline due

Gilligan, In a Different Voice, excerpts

Tue. Apr. 15 analysis of caring

Noddings, Caring, chs. 1-3

Thu. Apr. 17 caring as a basis for ethics last response paper due

Noddings, Caring, ch. 4

Mon. Apr. 21 the ethical ideal

Noddings, Caring, ch. 5

Tue. Apr. 22 care and education

Noddings, Caring, ch. 8

Thu. Apr. 24 extending ethics of care

Held, “Meshing of Care and Justice”

Tronto, “Care as a Basis for Radical Political Judgments”

Mon. Apr. 28 care-based approaches to your research topics detailed outline

readings TBA & bibliography due

Tue. Apr. 29 student-led discussion: genetic engineering

readings TBA

Thu. May 1 student-led discussion: abortion

readings TBA

Mon. May 5 student-led discussion: treatment of non-human animals

readings TBA

Tue. May 6 student-led discussion: poverty & hunger

readings TBA

Thu. May 8 student-led discussion: physician-assisted suicide / euthanasia

readings TBA

Mon. May 12 student-led discussion: capital punishment

readings TBA

Tue. May 13 semester wrap-up * TERM PAPER DUE *

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