CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL THEORY

Philosophy #4670

Fall 2002

Monday and Wednesday 12:30 – 1:45 pm

SOC 127

 

 

Professor Brook Sadler

Department of Philosophy

University of South Florida

Faculty Office Building 219

Email: bsadler@chuma1.cas.usf.edu

Phone: 813-974-5518

Office hours:TBA

 

 

This course will examine several influential papers published in philosophical ethics in the twentieth century. Central themes and questions of the course include: What is the proper subject matter of ethics or moral philosophy? What is the meaning of ethical terms such as “ought,” “right,” and “good”? What is the relation between ethical inquiry and scientific or empirical inquiry? Are ethical judgments subjective, or can there be objectivity in ethics? Are moral disagreements ultimate or can they, in principle, be arbitrated? Can moral propositions be true or false? Are modern conceptions of morality, like Kantianism and utilitarianism, too demanding or unrealistic? Is the “ethics of care” a distinctive approach to explaining moral phenomena or moral deliberation? Does psychology place limits on moral obligation?

 

 

Texts

 

·        Steven M. Cahn and Joram G. Haber, eds., 20th Century Ethical Theory. Prentice Hall, 1995.

·        Additional required readings will be available on electronic reserve or from JSTOR.

 

Course Policies

 

·        Attendance is required. If you have to miss class, you should inform me in advance, preferably by email, whenever possible. If it is not possible to inform me in advance of your absence, you should speak to me at the end of the next class session. You are required to make up work missed due to absence; however, work missed due to an unexcused absence cannot be made up and will count as a failing grade. Simply informing me of your absence does not automatically excuse your absence. It is your responsibility to inquire about missed assignments.

·        Absences due to religious holidays will be excused provided that you inform me by the third class meeting of the name and date of the holiday.

·        You are expected to arrive at class on time, which means that you are seated and ready to begin class at 12:30. After the first three class meetings, I will note tardiness. Persistent tardiness may result in any of the following, at my discretion: lowering your overall course grade, disallowing your entry to the class meeting, or expelling you from the course.

·        Turn off your cell phones and pagers when you enter the classroom.

·        University policies on academic dishonesty apply to all of your work for this course.

 

 

Assignments and Grades

 

Exams: 40% of course grade.

There will be two exams, a midterm and a final. Exact dates of the exams will be announced in class. Exams will be given in class (though some part of the exam may be take-home) and will consist in a variety of types of questions including, but not limited to, short answer, short essay, multiple-choice, textual identification and explanation, and true-false. Final exam questions may be cumulative: they may require you to compare readings discussed after the midterm with those studied earlier in the semester and to recall ideas and arguments discussed in earlier classes.

 

Final paper: 30% of course grade.

The final paper will be due on [date TBA]. The final paper will be approximately 6 - 8 pages in length. It is NOT a research paper. The paper topics will be based on the readings for the course and will be announced at least two weeks prior to the due date. SPECIFIC GUIDELINES for writing the paper will be distributed when the topics are announced. Success on the final paper requires adherence to the guidelines. A paper that ignores the guidelines will fail. NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

 

Short writing assignment: 20% of course grade.

You will be assigned one short paper (2 - 4 pages) during the semester. The paper will require you to explain the argument presented in one of the assigned readings and to raise a critical, philosophical question or objection in response to it. Not all students will write on the same reading assignment, therefore there will be different due dates for different students. Details about this assignment will be given in class. NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

 

Participation: 10% of course grade.

You are expected to participate in class by attending class, arriving on time, being prepared for class by having read the assignment, asking intelligent questions, and contributing to discussion of the readings. Further, participation means not only offering your own thoughts to the class, but also respectfully listening to and responding to the ideas of others. Unexcused absences will automatically lower your participation grade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Readings

Reading assignments will be given in class and are subject to change.

 

PART I : Metaethical inquiries. What is moral philosophy?

     Intuitionism. Emotivism. Error Theory.

 

·        G. E. Moore, “The Subject Matter of Ethics” (12-32)

·        John Dewey, “The Construction of Good” (65-80)

·        A. J. Ayer, “A Critique of Ethics” (108-115)

·        C. L. Stevenson, “The Emotive Meaning of Ethical Terms” (116-128)

·        C. L. Stevenson, “The Nature of Ethical Disagreement” (139-144)

·        John Mackie, “A Refutation of Morals” (145-152)

 

 

PART II : Mid-century strategies. Can moral philosophy be saved?

      Naturalism. Non-cognitivism. Utilitarianism. Justice.

 

·        Philippa Foot, “Moral Beliefs” (365-377)

·        R. M. Hare, “A Moral Argument” (386-399)

·        John Rawls, “Two Concepts of Rules” (273-290)

·        John Rawls, “Justice as Fairness” (332-350)

 

 

PART III: New problems and puzzles. Do the old theories help?

                   Modern failures, ancient revivals.

 

·        Bernard Williams, “A Critique of Utilitarianism” (457-475)

·        Michael Stocker, “The Schizophrenia of Modern Ethical Theories” (531-540)

·        Samuel Scheffler, “Morality’s Demands and Their Limits” (667-672)

·        Susan Wolf, “Moral Saints” (JSTOR)

·        Alasdair MacIntyre, “The Nature of the Virtues” (617-633)

·        Thomas Nagel, “Moral Luck” (573-582)

·        Bernard Williams, “Moral Luck” (reserve)

·        Philippa Foot, “Virtues and Vices” (583-593)

 

PART IV : New directions. What’s next?

                    Care. Feminism. Psychology. Particularism.

 

·        Carol Gilligan, “Moral Orientation and Moral Development” (reserve)

·        Owen Flanagan, “The Principle of Minimal Psychological Realism” (reserve)

·        Sara Ruddick, “Injustice in Families: Assault and Domination” (reserve)

·        Onora O’Neill, “Children’s Rights and Children’s Lives” (reserve)

·        Annette Baier, “Trust and Its Vulnerabilities” (reserve)

·        R. Dancy, TBA (reserve)