Philosophy 13, Introduction to Philosophy: Ethics

Philosophy 13, Introduction to Philosophy: Ethics

Fall 2006

SOLIS 104

MWF 10:00-10:50

Lecturer: Matthew Talbert

Office Hours: Wednesday 11:00-1:00 HSS 8061 (also by appointment)

Office phone: 858-822-2686

Email: mtalbert@ucsd.edu

Teaching Assistants:

Matt Brown (mattbrown@ucsd.edu)

Adam Streed (astreed@ucsd.edu)

Nellie Wieland (nwieland@ucsd.edu)

Course Description

This class introduces students to the study of ethics, in particular, to several normative ethical theories that provide guidelines aimed at identifying and distinguishing morally acceptable and morally prohibited behavior. We will also consider the principles that govern moral practices like praising, blaming, and generally assessing others in moral terms. Finally, we will examine ways in which some recent research in social psychology interacts both with these practices and with general claims made by certain ethical theories.

Aside from familiarizing students with the above topics, another goal of this course is to engage students capacities for critical reflection and to give students the opportunity to improve their ability to think and write about abstract topics.

Requirements

Paper: There is one short writing assignment in this class. This paper should be about four pages long (using standard fonts and margins) and is due in class on Wednesday, November 22. This assignment will count toward 20% of your final grade. You will be provided with paper topics. Papers should be clearly written, with a minimum of spelling and grammatical errors and with appropriate documentation of any sources. You can find useful information about various styles of documentation at websites like www.aresearchguide.com.

Exams: There will be three exams in this class: two short in-class exams on October 18 and November 15, and a final exam on the scheduled exam date, Monday, December 4. Each short exam will both be worth 20% of your final grade, and the final exam will count toward 30% of your grade.

Section Attendance & Participation: 10% of your final grade will be based on your performance in discussion section. Absences may be excused at the discretion of your TA and only with proper documentation.

Make-up exams and extended deadlines: Extensions and make-up exams will be granted only with a valid, documented excuse presented in a timely fashion.

Cheating and Plagiarism: Please be aware that the Academic Honor Code will be enforced in this class. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will be dealt with severely.

Course Materials

One text must be purchased for this course: Utilitarianism: For and Against (J. J. C. Smart and B. Williams, Cambridge U. Press, 1973). All other assigned readings can be obtained via the Course Reserves link on the Geisel Library homepage. You must use a campus server to download these documents.

Reading and Exam Schedule (subject to revision)

F Sept 22 Introduction

M Sept 25 Nagel, Right and Wrong (extra reading: Sayre-McCord)

W Sept 27 Kant, excerpt from Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

F Sept 29 No New Readings

M Oct 2 Aristotle, excerpt from Nicomachean Ethics

W Oct 4 Hursthouse, excerpt from On Virtue Ethics, Ch. 1

F Oct 6 No New Readings

M Oct 9 Hursthouse, excerpt from On Virtue Ethics, Ch. 2

W Oct 11 Hursthouse, excerpt from On Virtue Ethics, Ch. 3

F Oct 13 Foot, Virtues and Vices

M Oct 16 No New Readings