1. Jan 9: Introduction
Nature of Morality
2. Jan 11: CH 1, What is Morality? James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy (4th edition), (hereafter, EMP), pp. 1-15
3. Jan 13: Same as above
Objectivity, Subjectivity, and Relativism in Ethics and Aesthetics
4. Jan 18: CH 2, Cultural Relativism, EMP 16-31
5. Jan 20: Course Web Page: "Superior Culture Policy," "Death by Stoning for Sex Out of Marriage," "The Ritual: Disfiguring, Hurtful, Wildly Festive," and "Village by Village, Circumcising a Ritual"
6. Jan 23: Ereserves, Holmes Rolston, "Does the Aesthetic Appreciation of Landscapes Need to be Science-Based?" originally from British Journal of Aesthetics 35,4 (October 1995), pp. 374-386.
7. Jan 25: Same as above
8. Jan 27: CH 3, Subjectivism, EMP 32-47
Homosexuality
9. Jan 30: Two readings:
a. Course Web Page: Recent Issues Concerning Gays (Extra prison time for gay criminals, prohibition on adoption for gays, a pattern of abuse, Matt Shepard, and Gay survey raises a new question)
b. Ereserves, Richard Mohr, "Gay Basics: Some Questions, Facts, and Values," from James Rachels, ed., The Right Thing To Do (Random House, 1989), pp. 147-164 (Copyright 1989, Richard D. Mohr)
10. Feb 1: Same as above
11. Feb 3: Ereserves; Michael Levin, "Homosexuality, Abnormality, and Civil Rights," Public Affairs Quarterly 10,1 (January 1996): 31-48.
Philosophy of Religion
12. Feb 6: Ereserves: Richard Taylor "God," from Metaphysics (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1983), pp. 90-99
13. Feb 8: Ereserves: Bertrand Russell "Why I Am Not A Christian," from Why I Am Not A Christian (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1957), pp. 3-23.
14. Feb 10: Same as above
15. Feb 13: Ereserves: Alvin Plantinga, "A Defense of Religious Exclusivism" from Louis Pojman, Philosophy of Religion (Wadsworth, 1998), pp. 517-539,
16. Feb 15: Course webpage: Can Nonbelievers Be Saved?
17. Feb 17: Ereserves: Fyodor Dostoevsky, "The Sufferings of Little Children" originally from The Brothers Karamazov, copied from Paul Edwards and Arthur Pap, Eds., A Modern Introduction to Philosophy (New York, Free Press, 1969, c1965), pp. 454-462,
18. Feb 20: Two readings
a. Ereserves: John Hick,"The Problem of Evil" originally from The Philosophy of Religion (Prentice Hall, 1963), pp. 40-47 copied from Paul Edwards and Arthur Pap, Eds., A Modern Introduction to Philosophy (New York, Free Press, 1969, c1965), pp. 463-469
b. Ereserves: John Hick, "Evil and the Infinite Future Good," originally from Evil and the God of Love (Harper and Row, 1966), copied from Paul Edwards and Arthur Pap, Eds., A Modern Introduction to Philosophy (New York, Free Press, 1969, c1965), pp. 470-472.
19. Feb 22: Same as above.
20. Feb 24: CH 4, Does Morality Depend on Religion? EMP 48-62
21. Feb 27: Same as above
22. Mar 1: MIDTERM EXAM
Egoism
23. Mar 3: CH 5, Psychological Egoism, EMP 63-75
SPRING BREAK
24. Mar 13: CH 6, Ethical Egoism, EMP 76-90
25. Mar 15: Same as above
Utilitarianism, Ethics and Animals, and Environmental Ethics
26. Mar 17: CH 7, The Utilitarian Approach, EMP 91-101
27. Mar 20: Ereserves: J. Baird Callicott, "Animal Liberation: A Triangular Affair," from In Defense of the Land Ethic (SUNY, 1989), pp., 15-38.
28. Mar 22: Same as above and Holmes Rolston videoclips "Challenges in Environmental Ethics"
PAPER PROPOSAL DUE (Thursday, March 23th, 3pm, 14 Glebe mailbox)
29. Mar 24: CH 8, Debate over Utilitarianism, EMP 102-116
30. Mar 27: Same as above
Punishment and the Ethics of Respect
31. Mar 29: CH 9, Are There Absolute Moral Rules, EMP 117-129
32. Mar 31: CH 10, Kant and Respect for Persons, EMP 130-140
33. Apr 3: Same as above
Social and Political Philosophy
34. Apr 5: CH 11, The Idea of a Social Contract, EMP 141-159
35. Apr 7: Ereserves: Joel Feinberg, "Hard Cases for the Harm Principle," from Social Philosophy (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1973), pp. 36-54.
36. Apr 10: Same as above
Feminism and Feminist Ethics
37. Apr 12: CH 12, Feminism and the Ethics of Care EMP 160-172
PAPER DUE (Thursday, April 13, 3pm, 14 Glebe mailbox)
38. Apr 14: Ereserves: Catharine MacKinnon, "Sexuality, Pornography, and Method: ‘Pleasure Under Patriarchy'," originally from Cass R. Sunstein, ed., (Chicago University Press, 1990), pp. 207-239, copied from Nancy Tuana and Rosemarie Tong, ed. Feminism and Philosophy (Westview Press, 1995), pp. 134-161.
39. Apr 17: Same as above
Conclusions about Moral Theory
40. Apr 19: CH 13, The Ethics of Virtue EMP 173-190
41. Apr 21: CH 14, What Would a Satisfactory Moral Theory Be Like? EMP 191-202
42. Apr 24: Same as above
FINAL EXAM