PHILOSOPHY 490/500 A02 ARISTOTLE S ETHICS AND AFTER. Department of Philosophy University of Victoria

Transcription

1 PHILOSOPHY 490/500 A02 ARISTOTLE S ETHICS AND AFTER Department of Philosophy University of Victoria Fall 2015 Mondays and Thursdays 11:30 12:50 CLE B315 Contact Information: Dr. Margaret Cameron margaret@uvic.ca Office Hours: Wednesdays 4:30 6:00 or by appointment Course Description: We will engage in a close reading of Aristotle s Nicomachean Ethics. This text is regarded as the foundational work in the field of ethics. In conjunction with contemporary analyses of particular topics, ideas and arguments in the text, we will examine in fine detail Aristotle s ethical theory. We will then explore the little-known history of the immediate impact of Aristotle s ethical theory on his ancient successors in the Greek and Roman world. At the very end of the course, we will consider some developments in, and criticisms of, contemporary versions of virtue ethics and evaluate them in terms of Aristotle s original theory. Required Readings: Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics, translated by D. Ross, Revised with an Introduction and Notes by L. Brown, Oxford World s Classics (Oxford University Press, 2009). Articles and chapters, available for download on Coursespaces. Course Requirements: Attendance Mandatory. Please contact me in advance if you are unable to attend due to illness or other serious reason. If you miss more than two classes without due reason or notification, 5% per missed class will be deducted from your final grade. Participation 15% You are expected to come to class having read the class readings. You are expected to contribute relevant and philosophically thoughtful comments and questions.

2 Mini-Assignments 20% (2 X 10% each) No more than a 1000 word response each to a question or problem that emerged in the course of class or office hour discussion. You are expected to try to resolve a question or problem succinctly and by using the course material. I will frequently point out which questions or problems would be suitable for this exercise. The first mini-assignment must be submitted no later than October 15, 2015; the second no later than December 2, Focus Reader 15% Each student will sign up to be a focus reader for one of the readings. The sign-up sheet will be posted on my office door, and the final schedule will be posted on Coursespaces. You are expected to have read the material for the day very closely. Please come and see me in advance of your focus reading day if you would like to discuss the material. You will be expected to play a more engaged, instructional role along with me on that day. You may prepare a hand-out to facilitate class discussion. Final Paper 50% Your final paper, due December 10, 2015, will be a critical essay on one of the topics, themes or theories discussed in this course. A list of suggested topics etc. will be distributed by me during the term. There will be a more detailed instruction sheet for preparing this final paper available during the term. Policy on Late or Missed Assignments: You are expected to complete all assignments by the dates indicated (for which either you have signed up or you have been assigned by me). Any late or missed assignments must be accompanied by official documentation outlining the reason. Only serious reasons will be considered for approval by me (e.g., major illness, unavoidable family emergency). Course Grades: According to the University of Victoria s Undergraduate Grading Scale, you will be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria: Grades GPV Percentage Description A+ A A An A+, A, or A- is earned by work which is technically superior, shows mastery of the subject matter, and in the case of an A+ offers original insight and/or goes beyond course expectations. Normally achieved by a B+ B B minority of students. A B+, B, or B- is earned by work that indicates a good comprehension of the course material, a good command of the skills needed to work with the course material, and the student s full engagement with the course requirements and activities. A B+ represents a more complex understanding and/or application of the course material. Normally achieved by the largest

3 C+ C number of students. A C+ or C is earned by work that indicates an adequate comprehension of the course material and the skills needed to work with the course material and that indicates the student has met the basic requirements for completing assigned work and/or participating in class activities. D A D is earned by work that indicates minimal command of the course materials and/or minimal participation in class activities that is worthy of course credit toward the degree. F F is earned by work, which after the completion of course requirements, is inadequate and unworthy of course credit towards the degree.

4 Reading Schedule: Week 1 Sep 10 - Ethics Before Aristotle, General Introduction to Aristotle No readings. Some excerpts from Aristotle s Protrepticus will be handed out. Week 2 Sep 14, 17 The Human Good Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1 (a) Inwood, B. Working in the Wake of Genius, in Ethics After Aristotle (Carl Newell Jackson Lectures), Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2014, pp (especially pp. 1-15; is an overview of the rest of this book). (b) MacDonald, S. Aristotle and the Homonymy of the Good, Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie 71 (1989), pp Week 3 Sep 21, 24 How Moral Virtue is Acquired Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 2 (a) Kraut, R. Aristotle on Becoming Good: Habituation, Reflection and Perception, in C. Shields (ed.) Oxford Handbook of Aristotle, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012, pp (b) Leunissen, M. Aristotle on Natural Character and its Implications for Moral Development, Journal of the History of Philosophy 50 (2012), pp Week 4 Sep 29, Oct 1 Choice, Responsibility, and What is Up To Us Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 3 (a) Brickhouse, T. Does Aristotle Have a Consistent Account of Vice?, Review of Metaphysics 57 (2003), pp (b) Curzer, H. Aristotle s Account of Temperance in Nicomachean Ethics III 10-11, Journal of the History of Philosophy 35 (1997), pp Week 5 Oct 5, 8 The Unity and Disunity of the Virtues Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 4 (a) Irwin, T. Disunity in the Aristotelian Virtues, Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy supp. (1988), pp (b) Halper, E. The Unity of the Virtues in Aristotle, Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 17 (1999), pp (c) Lorenz, H. Virtue of Character in Aristotle s Nicomachean Ethics, Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 37 (Winter 2009), pp Week 6 Oct 15 Justice Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 5 (a) McKerlie, D. Aristotle s Theory of Justice, Southern Journal of Philosophy 39 (2001), pp (b) Aristotle, Politics, Book 3, chapters 9-18 (on Coursespace) Week 7 Oct 19, 22 Intellectual Virtues and the Best Type of Life

5 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 6 (and can read ahead Book 10) (a) Whiting, J. Human Nature and Intellectualism in Aristotle, Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie 68 (1986), pp (b) Kraut, R. Two Conceptions of Happiness, Philosophical Review 88 (1979), pp (c) Irwin, T. Conceptions of Happiness in Aristotle s Nicomachean Ethics, in C. Shields (ed.) Oxford Handbook of Aristotle, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012, pp * Note: Readings (b)-(c) will be the same for Week 10. Week 8 Oct. 26, 29 Pleasure and the Strength and Weakness of Will Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 7 (a) Charles, D. Akrasia: the Rest of the Story?, in M. Pakaluk and G. Pearson (eds.) Moral Psychology and Human Action in Aristotle, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, pp (b) Rorty, A. The Place of Pleasure in Aristotle s Ethics, Mind 83 (1974), pp (c) Gottlieb, P. Aristotle s Measure Doctrine and Pleasure, Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie 75 (1993), pp Week 9 Nov 2, 5 The Virtue of Friendship Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Books 8 & 9 (a) Annas, J. Plato and Aristotle on Friendship and Altruism, Mind 86 (1977), (b) Whiting, J. Impersonal Friends, The Monist 75 (1991), pp Week 10 Nov 16, 19 Pleasure and Happiness Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 10 (a) Kraut, R. Two Conceptions of Happiness, Philosophical Review 88 (1979), pp (b) Irwin, T. Conceptions of Happiness in Aristotle s Nicomachean Ethics, in C. Shields (ed.) Oxford Handbook of Aristotle, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012, pp * Note: We are revisiting two of the readings from Week 7. Week 11 Nov 23, 26 Ancient Responses to Aristotle s Ethics (a) Inwood, B. The Turning Point: From Critolaus to Cicero, in Ethics After Aristotle (Carl Newell Jackson Lectures), Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2014, pp (b) Inwood, B. Alexander and Imperial Aristotelianism, in Ethics After Aristotle (Carl Newell Jackson Lectures), Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2014, pp Week 12 Nov 30, Dec 2 In Comparison: Contemporary Virtue Ethics (a) McDowell, J. Two Sorts of Naturalism, in Virtues and Reasons, R. Hursthouse, G. Lawrence and W. Quinn (eds.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995, pp (b) Annas, J. Virtue Ethics and the Charge of Egoism, in Paul Bloomfield (ed.), Morality and Self-Interest, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, pp (c) Prinz, J. The Normativity Challenge: Cultural Psychology Provides the Real Threat to Virtue Ethics, Journal of Ethics, 13 (2009), pp