COURSE SCHEDULE
Module I: Are there moral truths? A Primer in metaethics
Week 1 Introductions
Week 2 God and Morality: The Euthyphro Problem
UNGRADED ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
Weekly Annotations (Jan 25th) and Weekly Blog Paper (Jan 27th)
READINGS:
Plato, Euthyphro
James Rachels, “Does Morality Depend Upon Religion?”
Fundamentals of Ethics, Guide, Chapters 19 & 20
Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, (selections)
Friedrich Nietzsche, "Parable of the Madman"
RECOMMENDED:
Matt Chrisman, “What is this Thing Called Metaethics?”
Genesis 22, The Holy Bible (King James)
Fundamentals of Ethics, Guide, Chapter 5
Week 3 Is it all Relative? Moral Relativism
READINGS:
Plato, Ring of Gyges
Michel de Montaigne, "Of Cannibals"
Mary Midgley, “Trying Out One’s New Sword”
James Rachels, “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”
Week 4 Slave of the Passions: Humean Sentimentalism
READINGS:
David Hume, "Of Morals," Book III, A Treatise of Human Nature
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, (selections)
Agnes Callard, "Should We Cancel Aristotle?"
RECOMMENDED:
Sabine Döring, “Why Be Emotional?”
Annette Baier, “What is an Emotion About?”
Jonathan Haidt, "The Emotional Dog and its Rational Tail: A Social Intuitionist Approach to Moral Judgment"
Week 5 Hume at “Oxbridge”: 20th Century Metaethics
READINGS:
A.J. Ayer, Language, Truth, and Logic (selections)
J.L. Mackie, Ethics (selections)
Ludwig Wittgenstein, Lecture on Ethics
Module II: Classical Hedonism and its Discontents
Week 6 Hedonism and Utilitarianism
Jeremy Bentham, Principles of Morals and Legislation, (selections)
J.S. Mill, Utilitarianism, (selections)
Peter Singer, “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”
Zadie Smith, “Joy”
Week 7 Hedonism’s Discontents
NO BLOG PAPER; MIDTERM TOPIC SKETCH DUE
J.S. Mill, Autobiography, (selections)
Cornell West, “Nihilism in Black America”
Robert Nozick, “The Experience Machine”
Week 8 SPRING BREAK!!!
Module III: Kantian Rationalism and the Ethics of Agency
Week 9 Morality as Rationality: Kantian Ethics
MIDTERM PAPER DUE March 17th
Immanuel Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Ch.1&2
Immanuel Kant, “On a Supposed Right to Lie”
Christine Korsgaard, "The Right to Lie"
Week 10 Respect and Autonomy: The Formula of Humanity
Immanuel Kant, The Critique of Practical Reason (selections)
Berit Brogaard, “Sex by Deception”
Week 11 Freedom, Desire, and Determinism
Immanuel Kant, The Critique of Practical Reason (selections)
Jennifer Uleman, “Kant’s Theory of Motivation” (selections)
Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Notes from the Underground”
Week 12 What is Evil? Rationality and the Problem of Evil
Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem,
Michelle Kosch, “Kant on Autonomy and Moral Evil”
Module IV: The Meaning of Suffering and Nietzsche’s Challenge
Week 13 Suffering and the Ethics of Compassion
Arthur Schopenhauer, “On the Sufferings of the World”
Iris Murdoch, The Sovereignty of Good Selections
Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, Journey to Mindfulness
Week 14 The Death of God and Nietzsche’s Challenge
NO BLOG PAPER; FINAL PROPOSAL DUE
Friedrich Nietzsche, “The Greatest Weight”
Friedrich Nietzsche, Genealogy of Morals, First Essay
Brian Leiter, “Death of God and the Death of Morality”
Week 15 Creating Values: Who is Nietzsche’s Free Spirit?
NO BLOG PAPER; FINAL OUTLINE DUE
Friedrich Nietzsche, Genealogy, Second & Third Essay
Nadeem Hussain, “Honest Illusion”
Week 16 FINAL PAPER WORKSHOP