Introduction to Ethics Auburn University Department of Philosophy PHIL 1020 Fall Semester, 2015 Syllabus Instructor: Email: Version 1.0. The schedule of readings is subject to revision. Students are responsible for checking for updates on Canvas. Dr. Silver Bronzo bronzo@auburn.edu. The instructor will reply to emails within 24 hours. Substantial questions about the material should be asked in person during office hours. Office: HC 3058 Phone: 334 844-4609 Class meets: PHIL 1020-07 MWF, 8.00-8:50 HC 3353 PHIL 1020-09 MWF, 9.00-9:50 HC 3353 PHIL 1020-19 MWF, 10:00-10:50 HC 3309 PHIL 1020-15 MWF, 11.00-12:00 HC 3353 Office hours: W 1:00-3.00 1. Course description How should we live? Why should we live a just and virtuous life, rather than pursuing our own interests with no consideration for other people? What is the relationship between morality, happiness, and pleasure? How do we determine what is the morally right thing to do? These are some of questions that we will address in this course by studying some of the most important works of Western philosophy. We will begin with the opening of Plato s Republic, where Plato formulates a fundamental challenge to morality: Why be just rather than unjust if one can be unjust and get away with it? We will study next three works that are the source of the most influential paradigms in contemporary moral philosophy: 1) Aristotle s Nicomachean Ethics, which is a founding text for virtue ethics ; 2) John Stuart Mill s Utilitarianism, which is the main point of reference for utilitarian ethics ; and 3) Immanuel Kant s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Moral, which is a major source for Kantian ethics. Aristotle construes morality as part of human flourishing and puts at the center of his ethical system the concepts of virtue and character. Mill bases his ethical system on the idea that an action is morally right if it maximizes the general happiness. Kant, finally, seeks to ground morality on rationality and emphasizes the concept of duty, the role of moral principles, and the importance of the agent s motivations. We will focus especially on the manner in which each of these works addresses the fundamental question raised by Plato. 1
2. Course objectives 1) Acquire the capacity to recognize a philosophical argument, reconstruct its structure, and identify what would count as an objection against it. 2) Acquire the capacity to read and actively engage with different genres of philosophical texts, including the dialogue, the treatise, and the journal article. 3) Acquire some familiarity with the moral theories of Aristotle, Mill, and Kant and their relevance for contemporary ethical debates. 3. Required texts 1) Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics. Oxford World s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 2) J. S. Mill. Utilitarianism and On Liberty. 2nd edition. Edited by M. Warnock. Oxford: Blackwell, 2003. 3) I. Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Revised edition. Edited by M. Gregor and J. Timmermann. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. These texts are available at the University Bookstore. Additional readings, both required and recommended, will be made available on Canvas. 4. Canvas This course has a canvas website. The website will be used for posting readings, short assignments, study questions, reading suggestions, slides or handouts of past lectures, updated versions of the syllabus, etc. Students are required to check the Canvas website and email on a daily basis. 5. Requirements and grade distribution REQUIREMENTS 1) Unannounced quizzes (between 6 and 10) on the readings assigned for the day, or on readings for past meetings of the class. When you miss a quiz, you get a 40% on that quiz. The 3 quizzes with the lowest grades will be dropped. (For the policy on makeup quizzes, see below, 8) PERCENTAGE OF FINAL GRADE 25% 2) First midterm (in-class multiple-choice exam). 25% 3) Second midterm (in-class multiple-choice exam). 25% 4) Final exam (in-class multiple-choice exam). 25% 5) Classroom participation. Up to 5 extra points NB: Attendance is not recorded. But given the policy for make-up quizzes (see below), you will be penalized if you don t come class. In fact, if you never come to class, it will be impossible for you to get an A. NB: Preparation. Before each meeting of the class, students must carefully study the readings that have been assigned for that meeting. Student must bring the assigned readings to class. In addition, student must do any other homework assignment given by the instructor. 2
6. Grading schema for final grade 100-90 A 89.9-80 B 79.9-70 C 69.9-60 D 59.9-0 F 7. Admissible excuses for missed class In accordance with Auburn University policies, students will be excused for missing classes for any of the following reasons: a) Illness of the student or serious illness of the student s immediate family. b) The death of a member of the student s immediate family. c) Trips for members of the student organizations sponsored by an academic unit, trips for university classes, and trips for participation in intercollegiate athletic events. d) Religious holidays. e) Subpoena for court appearance. f) Students who wish to be excused for missing the class for any other reason must contact the instructor. The instructor will weigh the merits of the request and render a decision. NB: Appropriate documentation is required. When feasible, the student must notify the instructor prior to the occurrence of any excused absence, but in no case shall such notification occur more than one week after the absence. 8. Penalties and make-up exams 1) Unannounced quizzes. When you miss a quiz, you get a 40% on that quiz. Your 3 lowest grades on the quizzes will be dropped. (This means that you can miss up to 3 quizzes without penalty.) If you have admissible excuses for more than 3 missed quizzes, you can take some make-up quizzes during 16 th week. More precisely, for n excused missed quizzes, you can take (n 3) make-up quizzes during 16 th week. So, for example, if you have excuses for 4 missed quizzes, you can take 1 make-up quiz during 16 th week. 2) Midterms and Final. There will be make-up exams for students who have an admissible excuse. If you miss an exam and you don t get in touch with the instructor within 7 days, you will get a 0 on that exam. 9. Withdrawing from the course In accordance with Auburn University policies, students may withdraw without grade penalty until the 15th class day, and until Mid-Semester (although a W will appear on the student s transcript if the student withdraws between the 16th and the 36th class day). Students who withdraw from the course between the 6th class day and the 15th class day will pay a course drop fee of $100. 10. Americans with Disabilities Act Students who need accommodation are asked to electronically submit their approved accommodations through AU Access and to make an appointment with the instructor during the first week of classes. If you have not established accommodations through the Office of Accessibility, but need accommodations, make an appointment with the Office of Accessibility, 1228 Haley Center, 84402096 (V/TT). 3
11. Academic Honesty All portions of the Auburn University Student Academic Honesty Code (Title XII) found in the Student Policy ehandbook at http://www.auburn.edu/student_info/student_policies will apply to this class. All academic honesty violations or alleged violations of the Student Government Association Code of Laws will be reported to the office of the Provost, which will then refer the case to the Academic Honesty Committee. In particular, in order to avoid plagiarism, use proper citation methods. When in doubt, please cite. A violation of the Student Academic Honesty Code will be reported to the Auburn Academic Honesty Committee. Upon recommendation of this committee, the provost may impose sanctions such as a zero grade for a specific assignment, a grade of F for the course, a suspension from Auburn University for a stated period of time, or an expulsion from the University. 12. Classroom behavior The Auburn University Classroom Behavior Policy is strictly followed in the course; please refer to the Student Policy ehandbook at http://www.auburn.edu/student_info/student_policies for details of this policy. 13. Emergency Contingency If normal class activities are disrupted due to illness, emergency, or crisis situation (such as an H1N1 flue outbreak), the syllabus and other course plans and assignments may be modified to allow completion of the course. If this occurs, an addendum to your syllabus and/or course assignments will replace the original materials. 14. SCHEDULE OF READINGS and CALENDAR OF ASSIGNMENTS Version 1.0. The schedule of readings is subject to revisions Students are responsible for checking on Canvas for updates. ***You must do the readings BEFORE coming to class!*** Week 1 8/17 Description of the Course --- PART I: PLATO S REPUBLIC AND THE AMORALIST CHALLENGE. 8/19 Introduction to Plato s Republic 8/21 Socrates, Cephalus, and Polemarchus. The traditional Greek conception of justice Week 2 8/24 Socrates and Thrasymachus. The amoralist challenge 8/26 Interlude: some notions of informal logic Plato, Republic, editor s Introduction, pp. ix-xv Plato, Republic, Book I, pp. 1-2 Plato, Republic, pp. 2-12. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (online resource), Callicles and Thrasymachus, Introduction and 1 Plato, Republic, Book I, pp. 12-20 No new reading 4
8/28 Socrates and Thrasymachus (continued) Week 3 8/31 Socrates and Thrasymachus (continued) Plato, Republic, Book I, pp. 20-25 Plato, Republic, Book I, pp. 25-35 9/02 Review class No new reading. Homework assignment. PART II: ARISTOTLE S NICOMACHEAN ETHICS 9/04 Introduction to the Nicomachean Ethics. Happiness and the ultimate human good Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics, editor s Introduction, pp. vii-x and xxviii-xxix The Nicomachean Ethics, editor s Note on the Text and Translation, pp. xxx-xxxi The Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, chaps. 1-5, pp. 3-7 Week 4 9/07 NO CLASS LABOR DAY 9/9 Happiness and the ultimate The Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, chaps. 1-5 and 7, human good (continued) pp. 3-7, 10-12 9/11 The Function Argument The Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, chap. 7, pp. 10-12 Week 5 9/14 Relation between happiness, virtue, pleasure The Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, chap. 8, pp. 13-14 9/16 The acquisition of virtue The Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, chaps. 1-4, pp. 23-28 9/18 Virtue as the mean The Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, chaps. 5-9, pp. 28-37 Week 6 9/21 Voluntary actions, choice, and responsibility. The Nicomachean Ethics, Book III, chaps. 1-5 9/23 Review class No new reading 9/25 First Midterm (In-class multiple-choice exam) Week 7 9/28 Aristotle on the nature and value of friendship The Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII, chaps. 1-6, pp. 142-150 9/29 Early alert grade 9/30 Friendship and morality Dean Cocking and Jeanette Kennett, Friendship and moral danger, pp. TBA 10/2 CLASS CANCELLED (The instructor will be attending a professional conference) 5
PART III: MILL S UTILITARIANISM. Week 8 10/5 Three kinds of ethical theory: consequentialism, deontological theories, and virtue ethics. Historical introduction to utilitarianism. 10/7 Mill s background: Jeremy Bentham on the principle of utility and the calculus of happiness 10/9 Mill s version of utilitarianism. Pleasures can be qualitatively different Week 9 10/12 Right action vs. admirable character. Intentions vs. motives 10/14 Act-utilitarianism vs. Rule-utilitarianism Editor s Introduction to J. S. Mill, Utilitarianism and On Liberty, pp. 1-4 Jeremy Bentham, Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, chaps. 1 and 4 (in J. S. Mill, Utilitarianism and On Liberty, pp. 17-22 and 41-43) John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, chap. 2, 1-18, pp. 185-195 Mill, Utilitarianism, chap. 2, 19-21, pp. 195-198 (including footnote) Mill, Utilitarianism, chap. 2, 22-25, pp. 198-202 10/1 NO CLASS FALL BREAK Week 10 10/19 Utility, morality, and justice Mill, Utilitarianism, chap. 5, especially 14-15, 25, 32-33. 10/21 Utilitarianism, duty, and beneficence 10/23 Utilitarianism and the Doctrine of the Double Effect Peter Singer, Famine, Affluence, and Morality Philippa Foot, The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect, pp. 1-7 Week 11 10/26 Utilitarianism and the distinction between positive and negative duties Philippa Foot, The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect, pp. 8-14 10/28 Should numbers count? John Taurek, Should the numbers count?, pp. TB 10/30 Review class No new reading Week 12 11/02 Second Midterm In-class multiple-choice exam 6
PART IV: KANT S GROUNDWORK OF THE MEAPHYSICS OF MORALS 11/04 The unconditional value of the good will 11/06 Acting from duty vs. acting in conformity with duty. Week 13 11/09 Two interpretations of acting from duty 11/11 Hypothetical and categorical imperatives Christine Korsgaard, Introduction, pp. ix-xvii Immanuel Kant, Groundwork, Section I, pp. 9-12 Kant, Groundwork, Section I, pp. 12-20 No new reading. Homework assignment. Korsgaard, Introduction, pp. xvii-xix Kant, Groundwork, Section II, pp. 21-32 11/13 The Formula of Universal Law Korsgaard, Introduction, pp. xix-xxiii Kant, Groundwork, Section II, pp. 32-40 Week 14 11/16 Continued No new reading. Homework assignment. 11/18 The Formula of Humanity Korsgaard, Introduction, pp. xxiii-xvi Kant, Groundwork, Section II, pp. 40-45 11/20 The morality of suicide: A non-kantian perspective David Hume, Of Suicide Week 15 11/23 NO CLASS THANKSGIVING BREAK 11/25 11/27 Week 16 11/30 The morality of suicide: A contemporary Kantian approach David Velleman, A Right to Self-Termination?, pp. TBA 12/02 Continued David Velleman, A Right to Self-Termination?, pp. TBA 12/04 Review class No new reading 15. Final exam The final exam will be an in-class multiple-choice exam. Time and location: Section Date Time Location (= where each class usually meets) PHIL 1020-07, MWF 8.00 a.m. Thursday, Dec 10 8:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. HC 3353 PHIL 1020-09, MWF 9.00 a.m. Wednesday, Dec 9 8:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. HC 3353 PHIL 1020-19, MWF 10.00 a.m. Tuesday, Dec 8 8:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. HC 3309 PHIL 1020-15, MWF 11.00 a.m. Wednesday, Dec 9 12 noon 2:30 p.m. HC 3353 7