APOL 997, SPRING 2015
COURSE TITLE: MODERN APOLOGETIC ISSUES: SECULAR MORAL THEORIES
FACULTY NAME: DAVID BAGGETT, PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY & APOLOGETICS
PHONE NUMBER: (434) 534-4525
E-MAIL: DBAGGETT@LIBERTY.EDU
OFFICE LOCATION: TBA
I.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course features an immersion into secular ethical theories as part of the task of
moral apologetics. Three tasks confront every moral apologist: defending moral
realism, articulating and defending theistic ethics, and critiquing secular ethical
theory. This course focuses on the third of these tasks.
II.
RATIONALE
The topic of moral apologetics has been experiencing a resurgence in recent years,
after a period of time during which it was largely thought to be without great potential
for persuasiveness. But an effective moral apologetic requires that we understand the
limitations of various secular efforts to explain moral facts. Be the facts ontological,
epistemic, performative, or rational, secular ethical theories are able to explain some
aspects of morality to some degree, but not all the moral facts in need of explanation,
and not as well as can classical theism and orthodox Christianity.
III.
PREREQUISITES
None
IV.
MATERIALS LIST
A.
REQUIRED READING (NOTE: OUP BOOKS ELECTRONICALLY AVAILABLE
THROUGH LIBRARY)
Baggett, David, and Jerry L. Walls. Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Morality.
Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 0199751811
Baggett, David, and Jerry L. Walls. God and Cosmos: Moral Truth and Human Meaning,
forthcoming (electronic copy will be provided, as it won’t be published for
another year).
Ritchie, Angus. From Morality to Metaphysics, Oxford University Press, 2013. ISBN:
0199652511
Smith, Scott. In Search of Moral Knowledge: Overcoming the Fact-Value Dichotomy.
IVP Academic, 2014. ISBN: 0830840389.
Hare, John. The Moral Gap: Kantian Ethics, Human Limits, and God’s Assistance,
Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN: 0-19-826381-3
B.
(Partial) Recommended List for Additional Reading Requirement:
Adams, Robert Merrihew. The Virtue of Faith and Other Essays in Philosophical
Theology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. (Select portions only)
_____. A Theory of Virtue: Excellence in Being for the Good. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2006. (Select portions only)
Audi, Robert, and William J. Wainwright, eds. Rationality, Religious Belief, and Moral
Commitment. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1986.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Ethics. Ed. Eberhard Bethge; trans. Neville Horton Smith. New
York: Macmillan, 1961.
Brandt, Richard. A Theory of the Good and the Right. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979.
Brink, David O. Moral Realism and the Foundations of Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1989.
Evans, C. Stephen. Natural Signs and Knowledge of God. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2010. Chapter 5.
_____. God and Moral Obligation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Ewing, A. C. Value and Reality: The Philosophical Case for Theism. New York:
Humanities Press, 1973.
Garcia, Robert K., and Nathan L. King. Is Goodness without God Good Enough? A
Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics. New York: Rowman & Littlefield,
2009.
Hare, John E. God and Morality: A Philosophical History. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell,
2009.
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_____. God’s Call: Moral Realism, God’s Commands, and Human Autonomy. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.
Harman, Gilbert. The Nature of Morality: An Introduction to Ethics. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1977.
James, Scott M. An Introduction to Evolutionary Ethics. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.
Joyce, Richard. The Myth of Morality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
_____. The Evolution of Morality. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006.
Korsgaard, Christine M. Creating the Kingdom of Ends. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1996.
MacIntyre, Alasdair. After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory. Notre Dame: University of
Notre Dame Press, 1981.
Murphy, Mark C. An Essay on Divine Authority. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2002.
Rist, John M. Real Ethics: Rethinking the Foundations of Morality. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Sidgwick, Henry. The Methods of Ethics. 7th ed. New York: Dover, 1966.
Sorley, W. R. Moral Values and the Idea of God. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1935.
Wainwright, William J. Religion and Morality. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2005.
Wielenberg, Erik J. Value and Virtue in a Godless Universe. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2005.
Zagzebski, Linda Trinkaus. Divine Motivation Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2004.
V.
PRE-CLASS READING AND PREPARATION ASSIGNMENTS:
An absolutely essential portion of the course is to be prepared to begin the initial class
by having assimilated some of the major ideas contained in the required reading. At the
very least, read all of Good God and a good portion of its sequel, God and Cosmos, which
I will provide to you in electronic format. Preferably read Ritchie’s book as well. Be
prepared for rigorous class discussions on at least the first text.
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VI.
MEASURABLE LEARNING OUTCOMES
The student will be able to:
A. Explicate and critique a robust secular ethic. See research essay #1 below.
B. Compare and contrast three major thinkers who lodge epistemic objections against an
array of secular ethical theories. See research essay #2 below.
C. Develop a careful, principled critique of an important variant of one of the major
alternatives to theistic ethical hypotheses—be it Kantian, evolutionary, utilitarian, or
Aristotelian—by showing how its conjunction with naturalism robs it of the ability to
provide an adequate explanation. See research essay #1 below.
D. Develop proficiency in identifying the drawbacks of naturalistic ethical theories in
four distinct areas: ontology, epistemology, and performative and rational areas. See
essay #1 and #2 below.
E. Present a sound critique of the ability of naturalism to account for the sort of freedom
that ascription of moral responsibility requires (if this topic is chosen). See essay #1
below.
VII.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS
A.
Class participation is absolutely essential in this course and will contribute to the
"Class Participation" portion of the grade, as indicated below. Emphasis is placed
on the quality of responses, the understanding of current research involved, as
well as student preparation.
B.
Research essay #1 investigates the ability of some secular ethical theory to explain
an important dimension of morality. For example, perhaps Korsgaard’s effort to
explain moral obligations, or a utilitarian’s effort to explain rights, or Philippa
Foot’s naturalistic account of goodness, or a naturalist’s effort to make sense of
moral agency. After clearly laying out the relevant aspects of the moral theorist’s
view, you will subject it to as good a critical examination as you can muster, using
the resources you have gleaned from the course. Maximum length for essay #1:
15 pages (double-spaced).
C.
Research essay #2 is to be written specifically on the epistemic variant of the
moral argument. In particular, the challenge faced by naturalistic ethical theories
to account for moral knowledge. Be sure to compare and contrast the work of
Angus Ritchie, Mark Linville, and Scott Smith, explaining how their views are
similar and different. Maximum length for paper #2: 20 pages (double-spaced).
E.
A statement of the total amount of reading completed specifically for this class is
required, including the additional assigned reading done. This is also a part of the
“Class Participation” grade. All the required reading listed above must be
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completed, in addition to extra pages of relevant reading of the student’s choice.
2,000 pages total must be completed. NOTE: This assignment must be completed
and handed in, or it will have to be assumed that the reading was not completed.
F.
VIII.
The professor reserves the right to change any of the items in this course,
including the content, procedures, and/or grading, depending on the class
circumstances.
COURSE GRADING AND POLICIES
A. The final grade is made up as follows:
Research Essay #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30%
Research Essay #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30%
Test……………………………………………30%
Class participation, attendance, & reading . . 10%
TOTAL
100%
B.
Grading Scale, by accumulated points:
980-1000
960-979
940-959
910-939
880-909
850-879
810-849
780-809
750-779
719-749
680-709
650-679
BELOW 650
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
A.
No late work is accepted without a penalty of five (5) points per day, including
individual weekend days and holidays. The penalty begins from the due date
unless the professor has granted prior permission.
B.
All written work should be submitted as electronic copies, unless other
arrangements are specified in class. All required assignments must be completed
satisfactorily in order for the student to pass the course.
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IX.
Attendance Policies
Attendance is also required at each session unless prior permission has been given.
Attendance is a portion of the 20% final grade.
X.
Other Policies
A. Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct is strictly prohibited. See The Graduate Catalog for
specific definitions, penalties, and processes for reporting.
B. Disability Statements
Online students with a documented disability may contact the DLP Office of
Disability Academic Support (ODAS) at dlpodas@liberty.edu to make
arrangements for academic accommodations. Residential students with a
documented disability may contact the Office of Disability Academic
Support (ODAS) in Green Hall 2668 for arrangements for academic accommodations.
For all disability accommodation requests (i.e. quieter environment, extended
time, oral testing) the Tutoring/Testing Center (Green Hall 2700) is the officially
designated place for all tests administered outside of the regular classroom. A
student with a disability must make such a request through the Office of
Disability Academic Support (ODAS) which is located in the Center for
Academic Support and Advising Services (CASAS) in Green Hall 2668. A
professor does have the right to administer a test in another location at their
discretion; however, the testing environment must meet the criteria spelled out in
the Disability Academic Support memo sent from ODAS for each student with a
disability.
C. Drop/Add Policy
Consult the Graduate Catalog for drop/add policies.
D. Dress Code
Students are expected to maintain a neat, professional appearance while in class.
Consult your department for additional guidelines.
E. Classroom Policies
Classroom policies will be established and enforced by the individual instructor.
Please turn off all cell phones.
XI.
CALENDAR: Topics for class lectures and discussions are announced daily, according to class
progress. Due dates for all assignments should be provided before the end of class.
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