Philosophy 125C Great Philosophers Spring 2011 McMillan Hall 149 Tuesday-Thursday 10-11:30 Professor: Anne Margaret Baxley Office: Wilson Hall 105 Office hours: Wed 10-12 E-mail: abaxley@wusd.edu ^eii: \oi.^i) zoo-w/ o Teaching Assistants: Jason Gardner Office: Wilson Hall 116 Office hours: M-W 11:05-12:05 E-mail: jsgardne@wustl.edu Bryan Stagner Office: Wilson Hail 116 Office hours: M 2-4 E-mail: bryan.r.stagner@wusd.edu This course offers a survey of some of the central figures, themes, and texts in the history of ethics and political theory. This semester we'll focus on Aristode's Nicomachean Ethics, Immanuel Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, and Friedrich Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality. Some of the questions we will address in class are: What constitutes the good life for a human being? Is it happiness? If so, in what does happiness consist? What does it mean to be a virtuous person, and how, if at all, does virtue contribute to happiness? Is there a price to be paid for being virtuous, and is that sacrifice worth die cost? What reasons do we have to be moral, and is it always in our interest to do the right thing? What does it mean to have a good will, and why is a good will valuable? Is there one (and only one) criterion for right action that enables us to determine what actions are morally permissible, and, if so, what is it? How should we understand the relationship between politics and personal happiness? What is pleasure, and is there a distinction in kind between different sorts of pleasure? What is the nature of individual rights, and is it ever permissible to violate one person's rights for the good of the whole? Finally, how did we come to hold the values we take to be central to morality in the first place? Are these values good for us? Do they promote human health and greatness, or are they really a sign of disease and decay?
REQUIRED TEXTS 1. Aristode, Nicomachean Ethics, trans, by Terence Irwin, Second Edition. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company. 2. Kant, Groundwork of die Metaphysics of Morals, ed. by Mary Gregor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3. Mill, Utilitarianism, ed. by George Sher, Second Edition. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company. 4. Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morality, trans, by Maudemarie Clark and Alan J. Swensen. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company. COURSE MATERIALS Please purchase the specific editions of the texts listed above. Also, please bring the text we're discussing with you to class. You need to complete the reading assignments before class, and you should also re-read the material after the class meeting in which we've discussed it. Although this is an introductory course, the texts we're reading are very difficult and require careful, multiple readings. For each assignment, I've listed the following abbreviations for the books we'll read. NE=Nicomachean Ethics Gr= Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals U= Utilitarianism G=On die Genealogy of Morality SCHEDULE OF READINGS AND TOPICS Tuesjan 18 Introduction ARISTOTLE Thursjan20 A Final Good; Eudaimonia; Three Common Conceptions NE, pp. 1-10 Tues Jan 25 The Human Function NE, pp. 7-11 Thurs Jan 27 External Goods; Posthumous Goods; The Dominance of Virtue NE, pp. 10-16
Tues Feb 1 Aristode's Moral Psychology NE, pp. 16-27 Thurs Feb 3 Tues Feb 8 Thurs Feb 10 Mon Feb 14 The Doctrine of the Mean Bravery and Temperance Comprehensive vs. Intellectual Conceptions of Happiness First Paper due by 4pm Philosophy Department 208 Wilson Hall NE, pp. 25-30 NE, pp. 40-49 NE,pp. 162-167 Review pp. 1-18 XT \ "NTT Tues Feb 15 The Good Will, Moral Worth, and Duty Gr, pp. 7-18 Thurs Feb 17 Kant's Examples of the Good Will Gr, pp. 7-18 Tues Feb 22 Moral vs. Non-Moral Motivation Gr, pp. 19-26 Thurs Feb 24 The Formula of Universal Law Tues March 1 The Formula of Humanity Thurs March 3 Kantian Virtue and Continence Tues March 8 Happiness as a Conditioned Good Gr, pp. 26-36 Gr, pp. 36-40 TBA TBA Thurs March 10 In-class exam on Aristotle and Kant Spring Break MILL Tues March 22 The Greatest Happiness Principle Thurs March 24 The Doctrine of the Higher Pleasures Tues March 29 Objections to LTtilitarianism U, pp. 1-12 U,pp. 1-12 U, pp. 12-22
Thurs March 31 Misconceptions about Utilitarianism Tues April 5 Mill's Proof of the Principle of Utility Thurs April 7 Utilitarianism and Individual Rights Monday April 11 Second Paper due by 4pm Philosophy Department 208 Wilson Hall NIETZSCHE Tues April 12 Morality's Ancestors Thurs April 14 Nietzsche's Naturalism Tues April 19 Dionysus and Human Health Thurs April 21 Re-Evaluating Our Values Tues April 26 Course Summary and Wrap-Up Thurs April 28 In-Class Exam on Mill and Nietzsche
COURSE REQUIREMENTS Two 5-page papers: 25% each Two in-class exams: 25% each Papers: I will distribute topics for the papers well in advance of the due dates. Extensions for the papers will be granted only in the case of extenuating circumstances or emergencies and must be cleared with me. Late papers will automatically be penalized a portion of a letter grade per day, so please turn your papers in on time. You'll need to turn in a hard copy of your paper to the main Philosophy Department office in 208 Wilson Hall, in the file cabinet labeled "turn in papers/exams." Exams: The exams will consist of terms and passages to identify and explain and lacuooujn qucduuiio lu cuiovvfci. x nui LO Lilc CAtuna, x 11 any SOiiiCuung inuic jpcuiit about their content so that you'll know what to expect. Class participation: Though there is no explicit participation component for your overall course grade, keep in mind that active and informed participation in class discussions as well as marked improvement in your work over the course of the semester will weigh in your favor. You are expected to attend all of the class meetings unless you have a legitimate excuse, such as a medical reason or an emergency. Please remember that if you miss class, it is entirely your responsibility to catch up on the material. PASS/NO PASS OPTION If you're taking the course for this grade option, you must attend class regularly, and you must complete and pass all of the course requirements in order to receive a passing grade for the semester.