PHIL 2601
Location: Main Campus
Session:Full Term
Course
Number 		Section Credits Days Time Building Room
23579 90 3        
This is an online version of PHIL 2601
On campus visits are required for orientation and exams.
Attendance for review sessions is optional but recommended.
Orientation: Thursday, January 14th, 8:00 pm -10:00 pm -B13
Review #1: Thursday, February 11th, 8:00 pm -10:00 pm -B13
Exam 1: Tuesday, February 16th, 8:00 pm -10:00 pm -B13
Review #2: Thursday, March 25th, 8:00 pm -10:00 pm -B13
Exam 2: Tuesday, March 30th, 8:00 pm -10:00 pm -B13
Review #3: Thursday, April 29th, 8:00 pm -10:00 pm -B13
Final Exam: Tuesday, May 4th, 8:00 pm -10:00 pm -
 

Everything in this syllabus can change (and something always does).

You are responsible for all changes announced on WebCT, by email, or in class, whether or not you were present that day.

Email: JenniferHudgens@mail.clayton.edu (preferred method of contact)

Telephone: 404-422-4655 (voicemail) – 678-466-4712 (office)

Office Hours: MWF 9 – 9:50 AM, before or after class, and by appointment.

Office: A&S Adjunct Faculty Office G116

Class List: PHIL2601-90Spring10@lists.clayton.edu

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT EMAIL:

1. Email is the quickest and preferred method of contacting me outside of class time. I will make every effort to respond to emails as soon as possible and certainly within 48 hours. Therefore, if you have no response from me within 48 hours, you should assume that your email was not delivered and you should re-contact me.

2. By university policy, I must use your CSU student email address for all correspondence, so please use that address when contacting me. I cannot respond at all to emails sent from other addresses (like hotmail, gmail, or yahoo). Please do not email me through WebCT, either, so that I can be sure I always check the right email for any PHIL 2601 students.

3. Email PHIL2601-90Spring10@lists.clayton.edu for all assignments, but email JenniferHudgens@mail.clayton.edu for anything else. We have a "class mailing list" email address – please ONLY use this to email the ENTIRE class, and not to ask ME specific questions. The mailing list is for papers, responses and discussion between students. We do NOT want to spam each other. Do not repeatedly send in the same message. If you have problems submitting emails through the list, please contact me at my email address. Violations of mailing list etiquette will reduce your participation grade.

NOTE: To obtain this document in alternative format or to request accommodations, contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 255, 678-466-5445, disabilityservices@mail.clayton.edu.

REQUIRED TEXT:

ECR: Ethics: The Classic Readings. Ed.: David E. Cooper. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 1998. ISBN: 978-0-6312-0633-0

AE: Applying Ethics: A Text with Readings, 9th Edition. Ed.: Jefferey Olen, Julie C. Van Camp, Vincent Barry. Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-495-09499-9

All other materials available on the WebCT webpage.

Please bring the materials to class. I will be referring to them by page number.

COMPUTER REQUIREMENT: Please check WebCT and your student email daily. This class will make extensive use of WebCT and email for discussion, content, and communication. All papers must be turned in by email to the class list:

PHIL2601-90Spring10@lists.clayton.edu. If you are not familiar with WebCT or the student email system, please let me know as soon as possible. If you do not own a PC or do not have access to the internet at home, CSU has several computer options available for students. I will be glad to help you locate them. WebCT and your student email are both available at www.clayton.edu. Each CSU student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a notebook computer that meets faculty-approved hardware and software requirements for the student's academic program. Students will sign a statement attesting to such access.  For further information on CSU's Official Notebook Computer Policy, please go to http://itpchoice.clayton.edu/policy.htm. Computer Skill Prerequisites: Able to use the WindowsTM operating system, Microsoft WordTM word processing, and a web browser; able to send and receive e-mail using student webmail and able to attach and retrieve attached files via email. In-class Use of Student Notebook Computers: Student notebook computers are permitted but not required in the classroom in this course. Computers are not permitted on exams.

PREREQUISITES: ENGL 1102 with a minimum US grade of C or ENGL 102 with a minimum UG grade of C or ENGL 112 with a minimum UG grade of C. Completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.

COURSE POLICIES:

General Policy: Students must abide by policies in the Clayton State University Student Handbook, and the Basic Undergraduate Student Responsibilities.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: The primary objectives of this course are to acquaint students with classic works and important thinkers in the history of ethics, to foster individual appropriation of ethical insights and reasonings, and to provide students with philosophical foundations for approaching contemporary ethical issues. You will be doing a lot of reading and writing and rereading. You will also need to take notes on the readings to help you prepare for the exams.

The papers that you will write and the papers of other students that you will read and comment on will provide immersion in the material that will aid understanding and contribute to success on the tests. Make sure your journal papers are of the required length, demonstrate thoughtful effort, and are submitted on time. Also, make sure that you engage in comment-and-response dialogue over the various paper submissions.

Course Learning Outcomes:

  • To acquaint students with classic works and important thinkers in the history of ethics.
  • To foster individual appropriation of ethical insights and reasoning.
  • To provide students with philosophical foundations for approaching contemporary ethical issues. 

CLASS MEETINGS – Orientation, Reviews & Exams:

All classes will meet at 8:00 PM in B13, on the dates listed below.

Online class with required on-campus meetings as follows:

Required Orientation: Thurs., Jan. 14

Required Exam Sessions:

Exam #1: Tues., Feb. 16

Exam #2: Tues., Mar. 30

Exam #3: Tues., May 4, Location TBA

Optional Review Sessions:

Review #1: Thurs., Feb. 11

Review #2: Thurs., Mar. 25

Review #3: Thurs., Apr. 29

Your presence at the orientation and exams is mandatory and your presence at the reviews is highly recommended.

GRADING POLICY:

60% Three Examinations I 2/16 20%

II 3/30 20%

III 5/4 20%

40% Electronic Discussion Forum Journal

Each journal will be graded on 8 journals + 8 responses + cover page (includes table of contents & self-assessment paragraph).

I 2/16 13.33%

II 3/30 13.33%

III 5/4 13.33%

(The additional .01% is simply added in to the final grade)

Letter grade values are as follows: A = 100 – 90%; B = 89 – 80%; C = 79 – 70%; D = 69 – 60%; F = 59 – 0%

MIDTERM PROGRESS REPORT: The midterm grade will account for approximately 30% of your grade and will be issued on March 5th. It includes 20% from the first test, and your journal grade up to that day. Based on this grade, students may choose to withdraw from the course and receive a grade of "W."  Students pursuing this option must fill out an official withdrawal form, available in the Office of the Registrar, or withdraw on-line using the Swan by mid-term, which occurs on March 5th. Instructions for withdrawing are provided at this link. The last day to withdraw without academic accountability is Friday, March 5, 2010.

EXAMS: There will be three exams, all essays and multiple choice. You will be given an entire class period to take each exam. Each of these exams will count for one fifth of your grade. The textbooks are what you will be tested on, so consider these the ultimate study guide. Hint: Keep track of all vocabulary, major arguments and objections. You are encouraged to make up your own study guides and I will have a review before each exam.

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance of orientation and exams is mandatory and will not be excused without documentation.

JOURNAL PAPERS: You will be writing a 1 ˝ - 2 page commentary on each assigned reading. In writing your paper, do not beat around the bush with introductory material. Immediately and concisely state the issue or question you are addressing and go directly to your analysis and answer the stated question to the best of your knowledge and personal opinion. Save each essay as a Word document. Copy and paste the Word document into an email addressed to the class listserv address (PHIL2601-90Spring10@lists.clayton.edu), making sure to put the identifying information in the subject box of the email. For a variety of reasons, this copy-and-paste procedure is superior to others, so please follow it. Do not send your paper as an attachment!

Your paper may be either (1) a response to one of the discussion or study questions at the end of the relevant reading in the textbook or provided by the instructor or (2) a development of an explicitly formulated question or thesis of your own. In either case, you must stay focused on the question you choose or pose and take care not to ramble over multiple issues or topics. Your paper must be directed at the primary reading and not at the editorial (or other secondary source) commentary. Remember, whatever you say must be in your own words. As you engage what are challenging and difficult readings, keep in mind that understanding is the objective and that your writings are important efforts toward that end.

You will be writing and submitting a paper for each reading. Email your papers to the class listserv on Wednesdays and Fridays of each week. Of course, when only one reading is assigned for a week, then you will submit only one paper. Please note: For the first few weeks, the book has no questions; I have included the questions in this syllabus. Starting with the AE book, there will be multiple articles and therefore multiple authors per reading. PLEASE limit your paper to just ONE author per paper. This means, for example, on 2/26 you can choose questions at the end of Roger Scruton or Alan H. Goldman, and for 3/3 you can choose Michael Levin, Timothy F. Murphy, OR (for 2/26) you can write on the main chapter material (75-86), OR (for both dates) you may do an open response on either the text or the author articles. You are NOT permitted to use the questions at the end of the case presentations.

You will also send at least one response to another student’s paper for each reading assignment. This means you should have the same number of responses as journals, or possibly more responses than journals, but never less. Responses should be thoughtful responses and counter-arguments to the papers at which they are directed; they are a minimum of a full paragraph (no less than five sentences). One sentence responses or responses that say little more than "I agree with you" are insufficient and will receive no credit.

FORMATTING & SUBMISSION OF JOURNAL PAPERS: Type your paper in Word 1997-2003 .doc format, in 12 point font, with one inch margins all around and normal double-spacing throughout. Use the first line only to identify yourself, the journal number, the paper number, the author’s name, and whether you are answering a question from the book (ECR or AE, for Ethics: The Classic Readings or Applying Ethics, plus the question number [Q1 or Q2]) or developing a thesis of your own (OR, for open response), and the date submitted. For example: JennHudgens/Journal2/Paper2/Plato/ECR/Q1/Jan20 or JennHudgens/Journal3/Paper4/Spinello/AE/OR/Apr23. You also ought to type up the question if you choose to answer a pre-written question. If instead you choose to do the open response, you are required type up the specific question or thesis you wish to develop.

These journal papers, 24 in all, must be posted (emailed to the class listserv) PRIOR TO MIDNIGHT on Wednesdays and Fridays. (So the first reading of the week is due by Wednesday, and the second reading of the week is due by Friday). You must keep a hard copy of all your submissions and organize them for collection and review on the three exam days. Each complete collection of journal entries (Journal I, Journal II and Journal III) will be due the day of the corresponding exam. This means Journal 1 (covering 1/15 – 2/10) is due on 2/16, and so forth. Responses are due the Mondays and Fridays following papers deadlines PRIOR TO MIDNIGHT. So your response to someone’s Plato paper (which is due 1/20) would be due 1/22.

For the three Journal compilations, add a cover page containing BOTH a table of contents with page numbers for each paper and response AND a paragraph assessing the overall quality of your journal/discussion list contribution, giving primary consideration to such factors as the number of postings of papers and responses, timeliness of postings of papers and responses, length of papers and responses, quality of the writings themselves, and the extent to which you read other’s papers and commented on other students’ papers. Assign a rating to your assessment, based on a ten-point scale. You should also print out your responses, with the date they are posted, and the full name of the author to which you are responding, all saved into a Word file, and NOT simply printed emails. PRINTING EMAILS WASTES PAPER. Do not put the journal in a binder of any sort; just staple the pages together. DO NOT waste paper when printing out your journals for submission. Do not use overlarge fonts, extra spacing between letters, lines, or paragraphs, or anything else which increases page count unnecessarily. Failure to meet the formatting or submission requirements will result in the reduction of points on your journal grade for each paper and or response in which the errors occur.

CLASS PARTICIPATION: Active, informed, prepared participation is required. For this online class, being prepared means having read the assigned pages at least once, having written and posted your paper on the target days (Wednesdays & Fridays), and having read (and commented on) submissions by fellow students by the target days (Fridays and Mondays). Note that participation is a factor in your Journal grade.

STUDYING TIME: The normal expectation is that students will do 2 hours of studying outside of class for every hour in class. This is a common standard used by many professors and so it is a good way to see if you are studying enough. Perhaps the most common mistakes made by new college students are not attending classes and not spending enough time studying. For PHIL 2601, this means approximately six hours each week of outside class work in addition to time spent in class. In some cases, even more outside time may be necessary in order to achieve at a C or higher level.

MAKE-UP EXAM POLICY:

Make-up exams are not guaranteed and are possible only in cases of well-documented emergency. You will be required to schedule an appointment before or after class to take any make-up exams. Make-up examinations will be given only if they are taken before graded examinations are returned to students (to be announced the day the exam is administered).  In the event that a make-up examination cannot be taken before exams are returned to other students, the student will receive a new exam covering the same material in a similar way to the original exam. In the event that the student misses the make-up, another make-up will not be permitted without further documentation of an excusable absence.

LATENESS on assignments, EXCUSED ABSENCES, and INCOMPLETES POLICY: Any assignment will have its grade reduced one letter (ten percent) for each day it is late. The following are examples of valid reasons for an excused absence, an excused late assignment, or an incomplete: a death in the family or a serious illness. The following are examples of invalid reasons: a traffic jam, a cold, general ickiness, lots of other work, or end-of-the-term travel plans. Materials can be e-mailed to me on weekends and holidays. If your work schedule conflicts with your ability to complete assignments in a timely fashion, you must provide signed documentation from your employer indicating your work hours. Without a valid excuse, a grade of zero points will be assigned for the missed work. Without a valid excuse, a grade of zero points will be assigned for the missed work after 10 calendar days of lateness, even if the work is submitted after the 10-day period. Excuses from your parent/guardian are not valid excuses.

ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: Every CSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as published on http://adminservices.clayton.edu/studentconduct/. The Student Code of Conduct addresses the University’s policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, and misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work. Please note: This policy includes but is not limited to homework, written argument assignments, presentations, participation in the class debate, and all tests.

University Statement: Any type of activity that is considered dishonest by reasonable standards may constitute academic misconduct. The most common forms of academic misconduct are cheating and plagiarism. All instances of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of zero for the work involved. All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Student Life/Judicial Affairs. Judicial procedures are described at http://adminservices.clayton.edu/judicial/.

DISRUPTION OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:

Behavior which disrupts the teaching–learning process during class activities will not be tolerated.  While a variety of behaviors can be disruptive in a classroom setting, more serious examples include belligerent, abusive, profane, and/or threatening behavior.  A student who fails to respond to reasonable faculty direction regarding classroom behavior and/or behavior while participating in classroom activities may be dismissed from class.  A student who is dismissed is entitled to due process and will be afforded such rights as soon as possible following dismissal.  If found in violation, a student may be administratively withdrawn and may receive a grade of WF.
A more detailed description of examples of disruptive behavior and appeal procedures is provided at: 

http://a-s.clayton.edu/DisruptiveClassroomBehavior.htm

OTHER POLICIES:

Please be courteous and observe academic protocol including the following:

■ Carefully and thoughtfully formulate any questions you have during class. Always write your questions down to help yourself do this, and so you can remember what you wanted to ask when you are called upon.

■ Do not monopolize class discussion. Make your point briefly and then give others the chance to speak. The instructor is available during office hours for extended questions or topics of greater depth.

■ Bring tissue and cover your mouth & nose when coughing or sneezing [this will reduce flu by 72%].

■ No phones, beepers, other electronic devices, or noisemakers are to be used in the classroom. If you carry a device, it should be turned off –not just put on silent - before entering the room. Devices going off during class will result in 1 point deducted from the final grade for each occurrence.

■ All assignments must be submitted by email to PHIL2601-90Spring10@lists.clayton.edu

■ No student-produced "memory sheets" or note cards are allowed on exams.

TENTATIVE READING and ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE – Reading assignments are to be done BEFORE the class date listed. Please read the introductory material for each chapter as well as the introductions to the assigned articles from each chapter and the primary source (the article by the listed author). Good study habits would include generating answers to the reading questions and discussion questions after you’ve read the article a few times. Remember: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO WRITE A RESPONSE PAPER FOR EACH READING ASSIGNMENT.

Orientation: Thurs., Jan. 14, 8 -10 PM, B13

Review #1: Thurs., Feb. 11, 8 -10 PM, B13

Exam #1: Tues., Feb. 16, 8 -10 PM, B13

Review #2: Thurs., Mar. 25, 8 -10 PM, B13

Exam #2: Tues., Mar. 30, 8 -10 PM, B13

Review #3: Thurs., Apr. 29, 8 -10 PM, B13

Exam #3: Tues., May 4, 8-10 PM, Location TBA (check your email regularly!)

Week of 1/11

Orientation &

Introduction

1/14 ECR: Intro p. 1-10 (Optional additional reading: AE 1-73)

Week of 1/18

Plato ECR 11-28

Aristotle ECR 29-46

Week of 1/25

Epicurus ECR 47-58

Mencius ECR 39-76

Week of 2/1

St Aquinas ECR 125-135

Hume ECR 149-165

Week of 2/8

Kant ECR 166-180

Review on Thursday, 2/11

Week of 2/15

Exam I on Tuesday, 2/16

Journal I due on Tuesday, 2/16 (8 papers + Discussion List contributions + table of contents page + self-assessment paragraph)

Mill ECR 194-211

Week of 2/22

Nietzsche ECR 212-229

Sexual Morality AE 75-104

Week of 3/1

Sexual Morality AE 104-126

Abortion AE 127-155

Note: Last day to withdraw without academic accountability is March 5th.

Week of 3/8

Spring Break – no class

Week of 3/15

Abortion AE 155-177

Euthanasia AE 178-200

Week of 3/22

Euthanasia AE 200-227

Review on Thursday, 3/25

Week of 3/29

Exam II on Tuesday, 3/30

Journal II due on Tuesday, 3/30 (8 papers, etc.)

Capital Punish. AE 293-312

Week of 4/5

Capital Punish. AE 312-333

Welfare AE 362-390

Week of 4/12

Welfare AE 390-410

Animal Rights AE 452-476

Week of 4/19

Animal Rights AE 477-505

Computer Ethics AE 506-529

Week of 4/26

Computer Ethics AE 530-544

Review on Thursday, 4/29

Week of 5/3

May 4 – 10 Finals: http://adminservices.clayton.edu/registrar/finals.htm

Exam III on Tuesday, 5/4

Journal III due on Tuesday, 5/4 (8 papers, etc.)

JOURNAL TOPICS:

Below are the journal topics for each week's assignment, unless you choose to go with the OR (open response) option where you clearly state your own question about the assigned material and then answer it. These journals are due by midnight on Wednesdays and Fridays. You are also required to read and respond to at least one other student’s paper by Monday night for papers submitted on Fridays, and by Friday night for papers submitted on Wednesdays. One response to another student of at least one paragraph is due for each reading assignment. This means a minimum of eight responses for each of the three journals.

Feedback for journals will be provided based on a rubric given during orientation; dates for grade availability will be provided at the exams when the journals are due. If you are particularly concerned about your journal grade, please email me directly with specific questions about fulfilling the requirements in the provided rubric.

Journal 1

Week 1/Paper 1, due Friday, 1/15: When the editor of ECR discusses his choice in the articles he included, he discusses both the different types of activities and the different types of areas of concern for moral philosophers. Q1 addresses the types of activities (Cooper, p. 2) and Q2 addresses the different types of areas of concern (Cooper, p. 7). Be sure to check the syllabus for formatting and submission guidelines.

Author - Cooper

Q1: Explain the difference between applied ethics, metaethics, and fundamental ethics. Which area is most interesting to you? How would you apply these ideas to an event in the media you have found morally problematic?

Q2: Explain the difference between moral grounds, moral knowledge, and moral scope. Which area is most interesting to you? How would you apply these ideas to an event in the media you have found morally problematic?

Week 2/Papers 2 & 3

The Plato paper is due Wednesday and the Aristotle paper on Friday. Feel free to email me directly with any questions, or the class for further discussion of these articles. Please remember: When citing the articles themselves, rather than the introduction, you should cite to the author. Example: Socrates implies that balancing the soul is morally significant (Plato, p.

Author - Plato

Q1: Callicles and Socrates endorse very different views of morality. Describe each of their positions with regards to the notion that "might makes right." Next, describe your own view - first of all, do you agree or disagree that power justifies our actions? Secondly, is this "amoralism" as the editor suggests in the introduction (Cooper, p. 11) or is it a legitimate way of judging morally? Finally, explain why you feel the way you do for each question.

Q2: Callicles and Socrates argue about Socrates's claims that "it is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong" and that one who does wrong is "more miserable than the man who is wronged" (Cooper, p. 12). Try to support Callicles first, based on the reading, and then try to support Socrates. Finally, pick a side and argue for it based on your own reasoning and examples.

Author - Aristotle

Q1: Define eudaimonia (well-being) and ergon (function) based on the introduction to this section. Go on to explain specifically what Aristotle thinks fulfills each of these definitions. Finally, argue for your own specific definitions of these general terms.

Q2: Define aretai (virtue) and happiness based on the introduction to this section. Go on to explain specifically what Aristotle thinks fulfills each of these definitions. Finally, argue for your own specific definitions of these general terms.

Week3/Papers 4 and 5

Author - Epicurus

1. Epicurus claims that "pleasure is the goal of living" (Epicurus, p. 51). Explain Epicurus's definition of ataraxia (pleasure) and how this is connected to our modern notions of things that are pleasurable. Finally, argue how this definition of pleasure would affect our notions of what is morally right and morally wrong.

2. Explain Epicurus's argument for why "Death means nothing to us" (Epicurus, p. 53). Should people accept Epicurus's argument? Why or why not? Finally, argue how this attitude towards death would affect our notions of what is morally right and morally wrong.

Author - Mencius

1. Do you think human nature is good or evil and why? What are Mencius and Hsun Tzu's opinions, and how do they argue for them? Which do you think has the better argument, and why? Finally, does human nature have any bearing on what kind of morality, if any, we apply to our lives?

2. Do you think people can be trained to be either good or evil and why? What are Mencius and Hsun Tzu's opinions, and how do they argue for them? Which do you think has the better argument, and why? Finally, does how people are trained have any bearing on what kind of morality, if any, we apply to our lives?

Journal 1/Week 4/Papers 6 & 7

Author - St. Thomas Aquinas

1. What is Aquinas's distinction between intellectual virtue and moral virtue, if any? What are the theological virtues? What are they necessary for, just moral goodness or something else, or several things? Finally, what is Aquinas's position on the question of whether or not virtue is in human nature, as compared with either Mencius or Hsun Tzu?

2. What does Aquinas think the relationship between pleasure and virtue is? How does this contrast with Aristotle's conception of the relationship between the two? Do you believe moral action should be pleasurable, or does taking pleasure in performing so-called "good" things make the action selfish?

Author - David Hume

1. What is Hume's distinction between sentiment and reason? What are the relationships of the two to moral thinking? Would it be possible to base morality entirely on one or the other? And do you believe moral action should be based on sentiment, reason, or both? (If both, describe how you would specifically apply each.)

2. Cooper notes in the introduction to this reading that many interpretations claim that Hume's position on the relationship between fact and moral imperatives is that "no 'ought' can be derived from an 'is', that moral and evaluative judgements can never be inferred from statements of fact" (Cooper, p. 150). This is to say, if I claim in an argument that the sky is blue, and then from that say "because the sky is blue, the sky *ought* to be blue," then I am making a logical mistake in my argument. Based on Hume's article, do you think the first interpretation quoted is correct, or do you think that the second interpretation "'oughts cannot be derived from factual statements which 'say nothing about human sentiments'" is correct?

 

Week 5/Paper 8

Author - Kant

1. Explain Kant's claim on p. 177 that universal conformity to law is the only rule which can command rational obedience in morality, or in other words "I am never to act otherwise than so that I could also will that my maxim should become a universal law." Think back to Hume's distinction between sentiment and reason: First do you think that rational obedience is commanded only by Kant's Categorical Imperative (the above quote); secondly do you think that rational obedience makes an action morally right if one's emotions are not committed to the action?

2. Explain what Kant means by the "Good Will" (Kant, p. 170), and how this Good Will relates to the Categorical Imperative (see quote from Q1 above). Do you believe there is a such thing as a will that is good in and of itself, whether or not it ever acheives or accomplishes anything? Finally, would you say that it is morally right or morally wrong for someone who does not have a Good Will to receive rewards and praise, etc.? How do you think Kant would answer?

Journal 2

Week 1/Papers 1 & 2

Author - Mill

1. Explain two of the objections to Utilitarianism that Mill addresses, and explain how he argues against these objections. Do you think he successfully disproves these two objections? Why or why not?

2. Mill distinguishes between "lower" and "higher pleasures (Mill, p. 197-200) and claims that "It is better to be a man dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied" (Mill, p. 199). First, do you believe some pleasures are better than others, and would either (pick one) Socrates or Epicurus agree, and why? Secondly, do you agree with what Mill claims in the above quote and why or why not?

Author - Nietzsche

1. Are there different types of people out there? Are there different moralities for different people? Should there be different moralities for different types of people? You may refer to Nietzsche's distinction between the stronger and the weaker types, or you may refer to your own distinctions between types of people in answering this question. Secondly, if there *were* different types of people (not that there necessarily are, but imagine a universe or a planet where there are), should morality be universal the way Kant suggests, so that the exact same rules apply to all people regardless of their circumstances, or do you think Nietzsche's suggestion that there be different types of morality for different people would be better and why?

2. To return to an earlier theme - is free will necessary for morality? Focus on passages 13 and 14 (starts on Nietzsche, p. 226). That is to say, would the "priestly" system of morality work without the presumption that humans have free will? Does the "knightly-aristocratic" system of morality require that humans *not* have free will? Finally, explain in as much detail as you can whether or not you believe that morality is manufactured by humans the way Nietzsche suggests in passage 14 specifically.

Week 2, 3 etc./Papers 3, 4 etc.

Remainder of Journal 2 and all of Journal 3:

With paper 3 you begin looking at the questions at the end of each individual author's section, and pick ONE question for ONE author. This week includes Scruton, questions on p. 92 and Goldman, questions on p. 104. FROM HERE ON IN I will NO LONGER be posting questions on a weekly basis. You will select your own from the end of each section's authors, or write an OR of your own devising. This does NOT include the questions from the various scenarios listed after each author’s article. Please email me with any concerns or requests for help.

 

PLEASE WRITE THE FOLLOWING DOWN ON A PIECE OF PAPER, SIGN IT, AND TURN IT IN BY THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS.

NAME____________________________________ COURSE NUMBER_________

PHONE NUMBER_________________________

I HAVE READ AND RECEIVED A COPY OF THE SYLLABUS AND REALIZE THAT I NEED TO CHECK MY CSU EMAIL DAILY FOR ASSIGNMENTS OR OTHER INFORMATION.

____________________________________ DATE____________________

SIGNATURE

FINALLY, Answer the following question in a paragraph or more: WHY ARE YOU HERE?

 

Last update: January 7th, 2010.