ETHICS: THEORY AND PRACTICE CEPL0925 INSTRUCTOR: ALEXANDRA KING JULY 1-12

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1 ETHICS: THEORY AND PRACTICE CEPL0925 INSTRUCTOR: ALEXANDRA KING JULY 1-12 REQUIRED MATERIALS: (both available at the Brown Bookstore) The Foundations of Ethics, 2 nd ed. (2011), Russ Shafer-Landau Coursepack COURSE INFORMATION Purpose: You will gain the ability to understand and engage with philosophical texts, apply highly theoretical ideas to real and fictional situations, and (hopefully) achieve a broader understanding of the surrounding world and your place in it. (You will also come out knowing some particular views about different questions in ethics.) Description: We will explore a variety of ethical views in the three major subfields of ethics: metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. We will discuss religion and the metaethical views of nihilism, relativism, and realism. We ll cover the normative ethical views of hedonism, virtue ethics, feminist ethics, consequentialism, and Kantianism. Finally, we ll end with some views about applied ethical problems like animal rights, abortion, and capital punishment. Assessment: Since this course yields no letter grade, there is no strict rubric. Instead, you will receive written feedback on your performance through (1) classroom participation, (2) homework assignments, and (3) a final written assignment, with the first and third weighted most heavily. A note about participation: Some students are very outgoing, while others are simply quieter. But philosophy essentially involves discussion and interaction with the ideas of others, so vocalizing some ideas is required. However, and I cannot emphasize this enough: quality is preferred to quantity. Don t be shy, but do think before you speak. Assignments: 1. At least two very short (a minute or two) presentations to get class going. These should be examples from your life(-ish) that are relevant to that day s or the previous day s readings. 2. Daily reading responses to the coursepack readings. 3. One word final paper (approx. 3 pages) on a class topic of your choice. Expectations: It shouldn t need explicit saying, but here are the two basic things you absolutely must do: respect each other and respect the instructor. This includes (but is obviously not limited to) the following: avoid both physical and verbal violence, do not plagiarize, attend all classes (there are only nine of them, after all!) and arrive on time, turn all electronic devices off (unless you have a pacemaker). In general, take the class and each other seriously, and take yourselves seriously. (Eating and so on is fine as long as it s not a nuisance.) A note about plagiarism: Again, it should be clear what counts as plagiarism, but don t take chunks of things that aren t yours without citing the original source (yes, even if it s by a fellow student! and yes, even if you paraphrase!). Working together on homework is fine, but do any write-ups separately.

2 A note about computers: It is my unwavering belief that computer use in class is bad, so please put your laptops and tablets away and take notes the old-school way. If you have a special need for a computer, please let me know. A note about attendance: The university policy requires all students to attend all classes. If you cannot do so, please let me know. Make-up work will be provided. Tardiness is frowned upon, and will affect the participation evaluation. Extra Support: Please let me know if you have a physical or learning disability. I m happy to meet with you and discuss what we can do. For students who would like help specifically with writing, the Brown Writing Center is a great resource, but you need an appointment, so plan ahead! See: COURSE SCHEDULE UNIT I: METAETHICS Metaethics the nature of moral facts and statements JULY 1: JULY 2: JULY 3: MORALITY AND RELIGION What is the connection between morality and religion? Do we need a higher power to support morality or moral motivation? MORAL RELATIVISM AND MORAL NIHILISM Moral relativism the view that ethical statements are true, but only relative to individuals (subjectivism) or group of people (cultural relativism) Moral nihilism the view that there are no ethical truths, so that either our ethical claims are always false (error theory), or they don t mean what we think they do they just express our attitudes (expressivism) MORAL OBJECTIVISM Moral objectivism the view that there are ethical truths that are the same for everyone, independent of their preferences, desires, etc. UNIT II: NORMATIVE ETHICS Normative ethics the general rules that govern how we should think, feel, and behave PART I: HOW TO BE JULY 5: JULY 8: VIRTUE ETHICS Virtue ethics the view that a person s character is foundational for a moral theory ETHICS OF CARE (ALSO KNOWN AS FEMINIST ETHICS)

3 Ethics of care an approach to ethics that focuses on care, cooperation, and compromise rather than interpersonal independence and abstract rules UNIT II: NORMATIVE ETHICS PART II: HOW TO BEHAVE JULY 9: JULY 10: CONSEQUENTIALISM AND UTILITARIANISM Consequentialism the view that we should maximize whatever is intrinsically valuable Utilitarianism the view that we should do what maximizes well-being (i.e., utility ) KANTIANISM Kantianism the view that we should always do what s fair and respectful UNIT III: APPLIED ETHICS Applied ethics how we should think, feel, and behave in particularly sticky situations JULY 11-12: Different ways in which the above theories have tangible consequences for practical issues

4 READING SCHEDULE METAETHICS July 1: Introduction, Morality and Religion. Outline of the course, introduction to philosophy and philosophical thinking. (In class) selection from Ch. 5: Morality and Religion (Optional) Good Without God, NYT article by Louise Antony July 2: Ethical Relativism and Moral Nihilism. Chs. 19, 20: Ethical Relativism and Moral Nihilism Mackie, Chapter 1 of Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong (Coursepack) July 3: Moral Objectivity. Ch. 21: Ten Arguments Against Moral Objectivity Miller, section 9.6 Railton s Account of Moral Rightness (Optional) Miller, section 9.5 Railton s Realist Account of Non-Moral Value NORMATIVE ETHICS: HOW TO BE July 5: Virtue Ethics. Aristotle, Book I of Nicomachean Ethics (Courspack) (Optional: Book II) July 8: Feminist Ethics. Ch. 18: Feminist Ethics Gilligan, selections from In a Different Voice (Coursepack) NORMATIVE ETHICS: HOW TO BEHAVE July 9: Consequentialism. Chs. 9, 10. Consequentialism: Its Nature and Attractions and Consequentialism: Its Difficulties (Optional) Mill, selections from Utilitarianism (Coursepack) July 10: Kantianism. Chs. 11, 12. The Kantian Perspective: Fairness and Justice and The Kantian Perspective: Autonomy and Respect (Optional) Kant, Section I of Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals APPLIED ETHICS July 11-12: Group Debates (details to come). Topics: Animal Rights. All Animals Are Equal by Peter Singer The Moral Community by Michael Allen Fox Abortion. A Defence of Abortion by Judith Jarvis Thomson

5 The Wrong of Abortion by Patrick Lee and Robert P. George Global Charity. Famine, Affluence, and Morality by Peter Singer Famine Relief and the Ideal Moral Code by John Arthur Nature. On Nature by J.S. Mill Ideals of Human Excellence and Preserving Natural Environments by Thomas E. Hill, Jr. Euthanasia. In Defense of Voluntary Active Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide by Michael Tooley Against the Right to Die by J. David Velleman (optional) On Suicide by David Hume Capital Punishment. A Defense of the Death Penalty by Louis Pojman Why We Should Put the Death Penalty to Rest by Stephen Nathanson