Relative To You, But Not To Me

Here are some links on ethical relativism. The first is an interview with a moral psychologist who supports a sophisticated version of ethical relativism.

Interview with Moral Psychologist Jonathan Haidt

The second one is an advanced overview of various versions of moral relativism from my favorite free online philosophy encyclopedia.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Article on Moral Relativism

Yes, there is more than one free online philosophy encyclopedia.

Email Subscriptions

So why does this course have a blog? Well, why is anything anything?

A blog (short for “web log”) is a website that works like a journal – users write posts that are sorted by date based on when they were written. You can find important course information (like assignments, due dates, reading schedules, etc.) on the blog. I’ll also be updating the blog throughout the semester, posting interesting items related to the stuff we’re currently discussing in class. I used a blog for this course last semester, and it seemed helpful. Hopefully it can benefit our course, too.

Since I’ll be updating the blog a lot throughout the semester, you should check it frequently. There are, however, some convenient ways to do this without simply going to the blog each day. The best way to do this is by getting an email subscription, so any new blog post I write automatically gets emailed to you. (You can also subscribe to the rss feed, if you know what that means.) To get an email subscription:

1. Go to http://cccethics08.blogspot.com.

2. At the main page, enter your email address at the top of the right column (under “EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION: Enter your Email”) and click the "Subscribe me!" button.

3. This will take you to a new page. Follow the directions under #2, where it says “To help stop spam, please type the text here that you see in the image below. Visually impaired or blind users should contact support by email.” Once you type the text, click the "Subscribe me!" button again.

4. You'll then get an email regarding the blog subscription. (Check your spam folder if you haven’t received an email after a day.) You have to confirm your registration. Do so by clicking on the "Click here to activate your account" link in the email you receive.

5. This will bring you to a page that says "Your subscription is confirmed!" Now you're subscribed.

If you are unsure whether you've subscribed, ask me (609-980-8367; slandis@camdencc.edu). I can check who's subscribed and who hasn't.

Course Schedule

Ethical Theories
January 23 – 25: Introduction to Class
Wednesday: Check. Check One. Sibilance. (intro to class; no reading)
Friday : How to Do Philosophy in 50 Minutes (no reading)

January 28 – February 1: Relativism/Divine Command
Monday: Relativism: Herodotus, Benedict (VV 134 -143)
Wednesday: Relativism: Nagel (VV 174 – 178)
Friday : Divine Command: Mortimer (VV 79-83)

February 4 – 8: Divine Command Theory/Utilitarianism
Monday: Divine Command: Arthur (VV 83-91)
Wednesday: Utiliarianism: Mill (VV 95-100)
Friday : Utilitarianism: Williams (VV 100-107)

February 11 – 15: Utiliarianism/Deontological Theory
Monday: QUIZ #1; Utilitarianism: group work (no reading)
Wednesday: Deontological Theory: Kant (VV 113-123)
Friday : Deontological Theory: group work (no reading)

February 18 – 22: Deontological Theory/Natural Law
Monday: Deontological Theory: Taylor (VV 128-133)
Wednesday: Natural Law: Dimock (DTRT 43-51)
Friday : Natural Law: group work (reread Dimock [DTRT 43-51])

February 25 – 29: Virtue Ethics
Monday: Virtue Ethics: Aristotle (VV 201-208)
Wednesday: Virtue Ethics: Rachels (VV 251-265)
Friday : Virtue Ethics: group work (catch up on the week’s readings)

March 3 – 7: Ethics of Care/Social Contract Theory
Monday: Ethics of Care: Kohlberg’s Moral Development (handout)
Wednesday: Ethics of Care: Gilligan’s Ethics of Care (handout)
Friday : PAPER #1 due; Social Contract: Rawls (DTRT 464-483)

March 10 – 14: Social Contract Theory/Review
Monday: Social Contract: Rawls (DTRT 464-483)
Wednesday: Review for Midterm (no reading)
Friday: MIDTERM

March 17 – 21: Spring Break
SPRING BREAK! (no class) (woo?)


Applied Ethics
March 24 – 28: Abortion
Monday: Abortion: Warren (DTRT 183-189)
Wednesday: Abortion: Schwarz (DTRT 190-201)
Friday: Abortion: group work (catch up on the week’s readings)

March 31 – April 4: Euthanasia
Monday: Euthanasia: Rachels (DTRT 255-267)
Wednesday: Euthanasia: Chamberlain (DTRT 268-276)
Friday: Euthanasia: group work (catch up on the week’s readings)

April 7 – 11: Euthanasia/The Death Penalty
Monday: Euthanasia: Quill (DTRT 284 -288)
Wednesday: Death Penalty: Pojman (DTRT 361-370)
Friday: Death Penalty: Bedau (DTRT 371-383)

April 14 – 18: The Death Penalty/World Hunger
Monday: Death Penalty: group work (catch up on readings)
Wednesday: QUIZ #2; World Hunger: Singer (VV 365-374)
Friday: World Hunger: Arthur (VV 375-380) & Shikwati (VV 381-384)

April 21 – 25: World Hunger/Animal Rights
Monday: World Hunger: group work (catch up on readings)
Wednesday: work on group presentations (no reading)
Friday: Animal Rights: Rachels (VV 467-473)

April 28 – May 2: Animal Rights
Monday: Animal Rights: Scruton (VV 496-500)
Wednesday: PAPER #2 due; Animal Rights (catch up on readings); work on group presentations
Friday: group presentations

May 5 – 9: Group Presentations/Review for Final
Monday: group presentations
Wednesday: group presentations
Friday: Review for Final Exam

May 12: Final Exam
Monday: FINAL EXAM

Course Details

Introduction to Ethics
Camden County College, Blackwood Campus
Philosophy 131, Spring 2008
Section 01: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. in Madison 311
Section 02: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 11:00 – 11:50 a.m. in Madison 311

Instructor: Sean Landis
Email: slandis@camdencc.edu
Phone: 609-980-8367
Course Blog: http://cccethics08.blogspot.com

Required Texts
Vice & Virtue in Everyday Life, 7th Edition, Christina & Fred Sommers (VV)
Do the Right Thing, 2nd Edition, Francis J. Beckwith (DTRT)

About the Course
This course is designed to get us thinking hard about morality. We're going to ask and try to answer a bunch of broad and fundamental questions. We'll ask the obvious questions: what are the right things to do, and what are the wrong things to do? But we'll also examine trickier questions. What makes an action good or bad? What does it mean to be morally good or bad?

The course is split into two parts. In the first half of the course, we'll study several ethical theories. We'll examine different answers philosophers have offered to the above questions. In the second half of the course, we'll apply these theories to particular ethical problems, including abortion, euthanasia, world hunger, and animal rights. The goal of this course is to develop a philosophical understanding of what underlies moral claims and apply this understanding to our own ethical beliefs.

Grades
90-100% = A
80-89% = B
70-79% = C
60-69% = D
below 60% = F.

Quizzes (2) 7.5% each (15% total)
Midterm 15%
Final 25%
First Paper 5%
Second Paper 15%
Homework 5% total
Oral Report 15%
Attendance/Participation 5%

Exams: The midterm tests everything covered during the first half of the course, and will last the full period (50 minutes) on the scheduled day. The final exam is cumulative—that is, it tests everything covered throughout the whole course, not just the second half. The final lasts 50 minutes, and will take place on the last day of class.

Quizzes: Unlike the exams, quizzes will not be cumulative. Quiz #1 tests everything covered during the first 4 weeks of class, and quiz #2 tests everything covered after exam #1 (weeks 7 through 9). Quizzes will last 20 minutes, and be held at the beginning of the period on the scheduled day.

Oral Report: The oral report will be a group project presented in front of the class toward the end of the semester. Each group of 3-4 students will research an ethical topic not explicitly discussed in class and present a 10-15 minute presentation on it.

Papers: There will be two papers, the first a short one on ethical theory and the second a longer one on one or more of the applied topics we discuss.

Homework: Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class the day they are due.

Classroom Policies
Academic Integrity: Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students found guilty of either will definitely fail the test, quiz, or assignment – and possibly the entire class. NOTE: Working with fellow students on group projects or homework assignments is not cheating. Copying a fellow student’s completed homework assignment is cheating. (Come to me if you are unsure what constitutes cheating or plagiarism.)

Excused Absenses: Make-up exams, quizzes, in-class projects, or oral reports will only be rescheduled for any excused absences (excused absences include religious observance, official college business, and illness or injury – with a doctor’s note). An unexcused absence on the day of the exam or quiz will result in a zero on that exam or quiz.

Important Dates
January 18: Last day to drop a course & receive a 100% refund.
February 4: Last day to drop a course & receive a 50% refund.
February 11: Last day to sign up to audit a course.
April 28: Last day to withdrawal from Fall Classes.