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PHIL 200 -- ETHICS -- GREAT TRADITIONS -- ASSIGNMENTS

FOR 8/25

  • Readings: EMP 1, RTD 1
  • Study questions:
    1. Imagine that you are an hospital administrator, and that you are assigned the task to put together an ethics committee. Who would like to be on the committee?
    2. What are your deepest moral values? Do you endorse all the values of this nation, as reflected by the Federal Law, or do you think some laws conflict with some of your values?
    3. Give an example of an ethical dilemma. How do you usually make your decision in such situations?
    4. Have you always acted upon your self-interest? Why not?
  • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 2

FOR 8/27 -- Cloning, Philosophy and Argument

  • Readings: RTD 2, 12
  • Study questions:
    1. What is a premise?
    2. What is a valid argument? What is a sound argument? Give simple examples of: 1.a non-valid argument, 2.an argument which is valid but unsound.
    3. What does the moral skeptic claim?
    4. Explain why the cultural differences argument is not valid?
    5. Explain why the arguments against non-natural birth are not sound?
  • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 3

FOR 8/29 -- Cultural Relativism

  • Readings: EMP 2
  • Study questions:
    1. What is moral relativism?
    2. What is the Cultural Differences Argument?
    3. Which premise of the cultural differences argument is false? Explain
    4. What evidence speaks in favor of Moral Relativism?
    5. Which evidence speaks against Moral Relativism?
  • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 4

FOR 9/3 -- EXAM 1 (on the material covered since the beginning of the class)-- Moral Subjectivism

  • Readings: EMP 3, RTD 7
  • Study questions:
    1. What is the main claim of Moral Subjectivism?
    2. What is the simple version of moral subjectivism? How does it fail?
    3. How can moral subjectivism be refined so that it does not fall under the criticisms leveled against the simple version of moral subjectivism?
    4. Explain the distinction between our use of language for stating matters of facts and our use of language for expressing attitudes
    5. Explain Hume's argument in favor of the claim that "The rules of morality, therefore, are not conclusions of our reason". If not from reason, where do the rules of morality come from according to Hume?
    6. Hume asserts that there is nothing in the world that corresponds to what we call good and bad (these are ideas). Explain.
  • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 5 (partial)

FOR 9/5 -- Moral Subjectivism cont'ed

FOR 9/8 -- Moral Subjectivism cont'ed

  • Readings: RTD 3 (Mackie)
  • Study questions:
    1. What is an hypothetical imperative? What is a categorical imperative? How is the distinction relevant to Mackie's defense of moral scepticism?
    2. How does Mackie answers our rejection of the Cultural Differences Argument?
    3. What is the argument from queerness? How is it relevant to Mackie's defense of moral scepticism?
  • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 5 (total)

FOR 9/10 -- Homosexuality

  • Readings: RTD 13 (Leiser)
  • Study questions:
    1. What is the argument for the view that homosexuality is wrong?
    2. What are the various possible meanings of ``natural" and ``unnatural"?
    3. Is there any of these meanings in which we can say that homosexuality is unnatural?
    4. Is there any of these meanings in which we can say that what is unnatural is wrong?
  • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 6

FOR 9/12 -- EXAM 2 -- MOVIE: The Courage to Care
  • Movie Discussion Sheet: Chapter 7

    FOR 9/15 -- Movie, cont'ed, discussion on exams -- Guidelines for Exams

    FOR 9/17 -- Morality and Religion

    • Readings: EMP 4, RTD 5 (Aquinas)
    • Study questions:
      1. What is considered right by the Divine Command theory?
      2. Socrates' question is: Is it because the gods command it that something is right, or is it because it is right that the gods command it? Explain the implications of both possibilities on another example. Say your parents told you to respect other people. According to you, is it because your parents told you to do so that it is right to respect other people, or is it because it is right to respect other people that your parents told you to do so?
      3. Explain how SOcrates' question is relevant to the issue of how morality and religion relate to each other.
      4. Explain the main tenets of the natural law theory. In this view, is morality restricted to religious people?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 8

    FOR 9/ 19 -- Abortion

    • Readings: RTD 11 (Thomson), 10 (Marquis)
    • Study questions:
      1. What are the two conflicting values in the abortion debate?
      2. Explain the analogy that Thomson does with the violin player.
      3. Can you think of ways in which the analogy is not convincing?
      4. Explain why Marquis is unsatisfied with the regular arguments for and against abortion.
      5. What are the various answer that Marquis considers to the question of why killing is wrong?
      6. Which is the answer that he favors?
      7. Which is the answer that is closest to yours?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 9

    FOR 9/ 22 -- Abortion -- no new readings

    FOR 9/ 23 -- REVIEW SESSION -- Sign up sheets on my office door

    FOR 9/ 24 -- Abortion again! -- no new readings

    FOR 9/ 26 -- EXAM 3 (on morality and religion, not on abortion) -- Start Egoism

    • Readings: EMP 6
    • Study questions:
      1. What is the difference between Psychological Egoism and Ethical Egoism?
      2. What is the main claim of Psychological Egoism? Can't you think of something you did in your life, which was not in your own interest? How is this a counter-argument against Psychological Egoism? What would be the Psychological Egoist's answer to that?
      3. What is the main claim of Ethical Egoism? According to Ethical Egoism, is it right or wrong to help other people without any further consideration of one's own interest?
      4. Explain why the argument that Altruism is self-defeating (p. 76) is not an argument supporting Ethical Egoism.
      5. Explain what the Principle of Equal Treatment is. If we follow this principle, do we have to give the same things to everybody?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 10

    FOR 9/ 29 -- Egoism continued -- no new readings

    FOR 10/1 -- Egoism Applied: World Hunger

    • Readings: RTD 14,15 + Hardin: Lifeboat Ethics
    • Study questions:
      1. On 9/11 and Starvation: what are the reasons why people react very differently in the cases of the 9/11 attack, and in the case of daily starvation? Which of these reasons do you think are morally legitimate?
      2. The Singer Solution to World Poverty: Singer claims that there is no fundamental moral difference between Dora selling a kid (who is to be killed for his organs) in order to get a TV, and us buying a new TV set instead of helping starving children. Do you agree? If not, what are the relevant moral differences between the two situations?
      3. Explain in what respect the case of Bob and the Bugatti is a more compelling analogy to our situation when we don't give money to the UNICEF or Oxfam America.
      4. At what point are you morally legitimated to stop giving according the Singer? What do you think of this?
      5. Explain Hardin's lifeboat metaphor.
      6. Hardin seems to imply that because we cannot put everybody on the boat, we ought not to let any in. Does this implication sound logically valid to you?
      7. Explain the "tragedy of the commons". Is it true that ""it takes only one less than everyone to ruin a system of voluntary restraint"?
      8. Hardin explains that increasing the food production would cause further problems for the planet. Do you find it convincing?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 11

    FOR 10/3 -- World Hunger, end -- EXAM 4 (on abortion, ethical egoism, and world hunger)

    FOR 10/6, 8 and 10 -- Utilitarianism

    • Readings: EMP 6,7 + RTD 8,16
    • Study questions:
      2. What is morality about according to Bentham?
      3. What is the Principle of Utility?
      4. What are the three main tenets of classical utilitarianism?
      5. What do you think of the idea that the ultimate goal of moral life is overall happiness? Is happiness a necessary part of our moral life? Is it sufficient?
      6. Do you agree with Mill when he says that pleasure, or freedom from pain, are the only desirable goals and that everything we do, we do ultimately ``as means to the promotion of pleasure and prevention of pain"?
      7. How does the idea that we should assess an action only on the basis of its consequences conflict with our common-sense morality? What can be the utilitarian's answers to this concern (give at least two)?
      8. How does the idea that we should take a point of view of strict impartiality when deciding upon moral matters conflict with our common-sense morality? What can be the utilitarian's answer to this concern (give at least two)?
      9. How does John Stuart Mill argue against the idea that ethical theories which take the pursuit of pleasure as the foundation of morals are theories ``worthy only of swine" (RTD p.72)?
      10. Explain how Nozick's experience machine works. Why do you think most of us would not accept to plug himself/herself in?
      11. How does the principle of utilitarianism conflict with a sense of integrity according to Williams? How would you define your personal integrity?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 12 (complete)

    FOR 10/13 -- Utilitarianism, cont'ed -- no new lecture

    FOR 10/15 -- Animal Rights

    • Readings: RTD 19 (Singer) and 20 (Machan)

      Suggested videos:

    • Study questions:
      • On Peter Singer ``All animals are equal"
        1. Explain why Singer think that our attitude toward animals is similar to the attitude of a racists toward other races or the one of a sexist toward other gender?
        2. Explain why Singer thinks it is impossible to justify the principle of equality among humans on the basis of an actual, factual equality between humans.
        3. What is then the good justification for the principle of equality according to Singer?
        4. Where should we draw the line between the beings who are worth of moral consideration, and the ones who are not, according to Singer?
        5. Explain the thought experiment in the last paragraph: ``would the experimenter be prepared to perform his experiment on an orphaned human infant if that were the only way to save many lives?"
      • On Tibor R. Machan ``Do animals have rights?"
        1. On which notion of right does Machan base his claim that animals do not have rights?
        2. Machan grounds his claim that animals don't have rights on the fact that there is an actual difference between humans and non-human animals: does Singer disagree on this?
        3. What is the fundamental difference between animals and humans according to Machan?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 13

    FOR 10/17 -- EXAM 5 -- on World Hunger and Utilitarianism

    FOR 10/20, 22, 24 -- End of animal rights, Start on Voluntary Assisted Suicide -- Movie: A death of one's own
  • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 14 (partial)

    • FOR 10/27

    • Readings: RTD 17 (Rachels), 18 (Doerflinger)

    • Study questions:
      • On Rachels:
        1. What is the argument from mercy in favor of VAS?
        2. What is the utilitarian argument in favor of VAS?
        3. Why does Rachels reject the utilitarian argument? What refinement does he propose for it?
      • On Doerflinger:
        1. What is the argument from autonomy in favor of VAS?
        2. Why does Rachels reject the argument that VAS can be the ultimate expression of our autonomy?
        3. What are the abuses does Doerflinger see as possible consequences of having VAS authorized?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 14 (total)

    FOR 10/29, 31 -- Kant: The Ethics of Duty

    • Readings: EMP 8, RTD 9

    • Study questions:
      1. What is an hypothetical requirement? Illustrate your answer with an example
      2. What is a categorical requirement? Illustrate your answer with an example.
      3. What is the Categorical Imperative? How can we use it to decide what the right thing to do is?
      4. Is there some circumstances in which it is ok to lie for Kant? Why or why not?
      5. What is the main problem with the idea of absolute moral rules?
      6. Which important insight did we learn from Kant and his categorical imperative?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 15

    FOR 11/3 -- EXAM 6 -- Start Movie: Dead Man Walking

    FOR 11/5,7 Movie: Dead Man Walking

    FOR 11/10 -- Kant: Respect and Punishment

    • Readings: EMP 9

    • Study questions:
      1. Kant provided another formulation of the categorical imperative: ``Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only.'' What is the most important reason, for Kant, for thinking this is true?
      2. Why, according to Kant, ought criminals to be punished?
      3. What are Kant's objections to the Utilitarian view of punishment?
      4. What are Kant's two principles of punishment?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 16

    FOR 11/12 -- Death Penalty

    • Readings: RTD 24, 25

    • Study questions:
      1. Bedau suggests that the death penalty is unfairly applied and shouldn't be applied because of this. Provide some reasons for thinking so. What is van den Haag's argument that the death penalty should be applied anyway.
      2. Bedau thinks that the death penalty should not be applied because it is irreversable. Why is that? What is van den Haag's argument that it should be applied anyway.
      3. Bedau thinks that the death penalty doesn't act as a deterrent. Provide reasons for thinking this. Why does van den Haag think that is should be applied anyway?
      4. Bedau thinks that the death penalty is excessive and contrary to human dignity? Why? Why does van den Haag think he's wrong?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 17

    FOR 11/14 -- Catch up day -- No new readings

    FOR 11/17, 19 -- Social Contract Theories

    • Readings: EMP 10, RTD 6

    • Study questions:
      1. What would be our lives in a ``state of nature" according to Hobbes?
      2. What are the four basic facts about the conditions of human life which make the life in a state of nature dreadful?
      3. Why is it necessary to establish a government in order to escape the state of nature?
      4. What is morality according to the Social Contract Theories?
      5. How does a Prisoner's Dilemma situation provide justification for social contracts?
      6. What are the four advantages of Social Contract Theories according to Rachels?
      7. Under what conditions is civil disobedience justified on a social contract theory?
      8. Among the ones discussed by Rachels, which is the most important difficulty faced by the Social Contract Theory according to you?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 18

    FOR 11/21 -- EXAM 7 -- on Respect, Punishment, Death Penalty and Social Contract Theories

    FOR 11/24 -- Gender Theories

    • Readings: EMP 11

    • Study questions:
      1. What is Heinz's dilemma? What did Kohlberg want to study with it? How would you describe the general trend of moral development according to Kohlberg? What were Kohlberg's findings concerning the moral development of girls compared to boys?
      2. What is Gilligan's analysis of Kohlberg's findings?
      3. In what sense and to what extend can we say that men and women think differently concerning ethical issues? Is it to say that all men and all women think in a particular way due to their gender?
      4. What are the two ways in which we could explain the differences between men and women?
      5. Why cannot the ethics of care be the whole story of morality according to Rachels?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 19

    11/26-30 -- HAPPY THANKSGIVING BREAK -- (START STUDYING FOR FINALS !)

    FOR 12/1 -- Virtue Ethics

    • Readings: EMP 12, RTD 4

    • Study questions:
      1. What is happiness according to Aristotle?
      2. What is a virtue? How is it acquired?
      3. Explain Aristotle's idea that virtuous action always consists in a mean.
      4. Does the virtuous man take pleasure in being virtuous?
      5. What are the advantages of virtue ethics? the disadvantages?
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 20

    FOR 12/3, 5 -- Environmental Ethics

    • Readings: Chapter 11 from Hinman, Contemporary moral issues -- sent by email

    • Study questions:
      1. The study questions are given at the beginning of each reading.
    • Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 21

    12/4 -- MAKE UP EXAM (for authorized students only) -- 5pm LA 233

    12/7 -- REVIEW SESSIONS:

    • Student Repartition:
      • Abbey to Ford: SS 254
      • Frazier to Nelson: SS 344
      • Nicholson to Youlden: SS 352
    • What the review sessions are not:
      • We won't give you the questions of the exams
      • We won't make you learn all the material covered in 2 hours (if this was possible, I would do it over the first week of class and everybody would be happy to go home)
    • How can be make the review session efficient then? We can have a useful review session only if you study in advance and come with specific questions about the material. If none of you has questions, then we'll send you home, and call it a day.

    12/8 -- FINAL EXAM 8-10 am LA 11

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