PHIL 355 - Moral Theory - Fall, 2013
Metropolitan State University
Schedule of Assignments (updated, 9/25/13, 10/5/13)
Resources:
Blackburn, Ruling Passions, Chapter 1
Link to excerpts and notes on Kant's moral philosophy
Korsgaard on Kant's formula of universal law
For background in ethics and moral philosophy:
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Index to ethics articles - Note: the quality of these articles is somewhat uneven and occassionaly idiosyncratic.)
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Articles are highly reliable, but fairly advanced, and many are written by leading scholars. For example the article on moral paarticularism -- link below -- is written by Jonathan Dancy, who is the leading advocate and expositor of particularism.)
Constructivism in Metaethics (Kant, Rawls, Korsgaard,
Moral Anti-Realism (includes discussion of Blackburn)
Moral Cognitivism vs. Non-Cognitivism (includes discussion of Blackburn)
Consequentialist Moral Theories
Contractarian Moral Theories (Gauthier)
Contractualist Ethics (Scanlon)
Tentative schedule of assignments
Date |
Topic |
|
Writing assignments due |
Aug. 28 |
Introductory Session |
None |
|
Sept. 4 |
What is Ethics? |
Response paper |
|
Sept. 11 |
Expressivism as naturalism; Internalism and Externalism |
Blackburn, Ruling Passions, Chapter 3 |
Response paper |
Sept. 18 |
Change of Plan: Self-Interest |
Blackburn, Ruling Passions, Chapter 5 |
Response paper |
Sept. 25 |
Rationality
|
Blackburn, Ruling Passions, Chapter 6 |
Response paper |
Oct. 2 |
Humean Sentiments vs. Kantian Reason |
Blackburn, Ruling Passions, Chapter 7 |
Response paper |
Oct. 9 |
Neutralizing relativism |
Blackburn, Ruling Passions, Chapter 9 and the Appendix |
Response paper; |
Oct. 16 |
A teleological conception of action as the source of norms |
Korsgaard, Self-Constitution, Chapters 1 and 2 |
Response paper |
Oct. 23 |
Principles of Reason and the Unity of the Will |
Korsgaard, Self-Constitution, Chapters 3 and 4 |
Response paper |
Oct. 30 |
Autonomy, Efficacy, Humanity |
Korsgaard, Self-Constitution, Chapters 5 and 6 |
Response paper; Term paper topic proposal due |
Nov 6 |
Models of the Soul and of defective action (evil) |
Korsgaard, Self-Constitution, Chapters 7 and 8 |
Response paper |
Nov 13 |
Having Integrity and Being a Person |
Korsgaard, Self-Constitution, Chapters 9 and 10 |
Response paper |
Nov 20 |
Blackburn's critique of Kantian theory | Blackburn, Ruling Passions, Chapter 8 | Response paper: |
Nov 27 |
Response paper Term paper draft due |
||
Dec. 4 |
Wrap up – ??? |
Or, perhaps we will be still reading our third book??? |
Term Paper due by email on December 11 |