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SAN DIEGO MESA COLLEGE
PHIL 102B
CRNS: 48693, 48687, 46596
SPRING 2015
INSTRUCTOR: PROF. NINA ROSENSTAND
INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY: VALUES
STUDY GUIDE, FINAL EXAM
Prof. Rosenstand’s office: SB 311P
Office hours: MTWTh 11:15-12:30 and by appointment
Messages to Prof. Rosenstand: (619) 388-2407
E-mail: nrosenst@sdccd.edu (e-mails will be answered during Prof. Rosenstand’s office hours.)
Website: http://classroom.sdmesa.edu/nrosenst
STAY INFORMED ABOUT POSSIBLE CHANGES TO THE READINGS AND TEST DATES. CHANGES, IF ANY,
WILL BE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE.
FINAL EXAMINATIONS:
MW classes:
12:45 class:
Monday May 18, 12:45: Final exam.
Wednesday May 20, 12:45: final meeting.
3:55 class:
Monday May 18, 3:55: Final exam.
Wednesday May 20, 3:55: final meeting.
TTh class: Tuesday May 19, 12:45: Final exam
Thursday May 21: 12:45: final meeting.
Finals will be returned during the final meeting.
FORMAT OF THE FINAL:
USE A SCANTRON FORM # 882; PLEASE USE PENCIL #2. MAKE SURE YOUR SCANTRON ANSWERS ARE
CLEAR AND UNAMBIGUOUS; OTHERWISE THE SCANTRON MACHINE CAN'T READ THEM. READ THE
QUESTIONS CAREFULLY. TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 50.
PLAGIARISM POLICY: USING UNAUTHORIZED OPEN BOOKS, ELECTRONIC DEVICES OR NOTES DURING THE
TEST, OR CONSULTING WITH OTHER STUDENTS, WILL RESULT IN AN F ON THE TEST, AND WILL BE
REPORTED.
There will be 12 True/False questions; each correct answer is worth 2 points.
There will be 13 Multiple Choice questions; each correct answer is worth 2 points.
READINGS:
TMTS Ch.5, “Utilitarianism” pp.231-260, 278-281
TMTS Ch.6, “Kant’s Deontology” pp.282-303
TMTS Ch.8, "Virtue Ethics"(Socrates and Plato) pp.391-392, 396-412
TMTS Ch.9, "Aristotle's Virtue Theory" pp.440-458, 460-462 + Narrative: “Icarus”
Ch.10, “Contemporary Perspectives” pp.477-480 (time permitting)
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KEY CONCEPTS:
TMTS Ch.5, “Utilitarianism” pp.231-260, 278281
The Principle of Utility = the Greatest
Happiness Principle
Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory
Jeremy Bentham’s hedonistic calculus
The hedonistic calculus allows for animal
suffering to be taken into consideration
Pros: easy to use, egalitarian
Cons: shows bias; can be manipulated; reduces
pains, pleasures and people to “sheer numbers”
Descartes: animals have no minds and can’t feel
pain
The hedonistic calculus would approve of
torture if yielding good results
John Stuart Mill: Bentham’s godson, tutored
childhood, nervous breakdown at 20
Relationship with Harriet Taylor: intellectual
partnership. Women’s rights advocates.
Mill: 3 areas of influence in philosophy:
Women’s rights, Higher and Lower
Pleasures Theory, and the Harm
Principle Theory
Bentham’s utilitarianism was unpopular in
Victorian England
Mill’s revision of Bentham’s utilitarianism:
some pleasures are higher, and some are lower
Mill: “Better to be a human being dissatisfied
than to be a pig satisfied, better to be Socrates
dissatisfied than a fool satisfied”
Mill: The harm principle: individuals and state
should only interfere if someone does harm to
others, not to themselves
Mill: Right to privacy is a major point in the
harm principle: consenting adults.
Mill: Children and immature adults are excluded
from the harm principle for their own protection
Mill: “Backwards nations” are also excluded,
and should be ruled by civilized nations, for
their own good
Mill was colonial administrator of India
MW classes: Narrative: The Invention
of Lying. Mark lies to his dying mother
about life after death, with good or bad
consequences?
TMTS Ch.6, “Kant’s Deontology” pp.282-303
Immanuel Kant, German philosopher
The good will: good intentions to respect moral
law; consequences don’t count
“The good will shines like a jewel by its own
light”
The store owner’s 4 options
hypothetical imperatives: If I want X, then I
must do Y, conditional command
The categorical imperative: Absolute moral
command
Structure of cat.imp.: State your maxim,
universalize it, ask if it is rational.
Maxim = principle for an action
Universalization = making a maxim into a
universal law
Example: the man who wants to borrow money
autonomous lawmaker = using cat.imp. to set
moral rules for oneself
Kant’s assumption: reason is universal
5 Criticisms: 1) Mill: Kant is referring to
consequences; 2) cat.imp. doesn’t solve conflict
between duties; 3) the loophole, making the
maxim too specific; 4) What is rationality?
Depends on goal; 5) Cat.imp. allows for no
exceptions (example: the killer at the door)
Intrinsic value vs. instrumental value
Kant: rational beings should be treated as “endsin-themselves”
“means to an end” vs “merely a means to an
end” (use vs. abuse, disrespect)
“ends in themselves”: respect for rational beings
including yourself
rational persons vs. non-rational things
Problems: what about humans who are not
rational, and animals
Kant regards animals as things
Kant’s last book: invented concept in-between
“person” and “thing,” for humans. Not for
animals.
But Kant was against animal experiments.
Kingdom of Ends: Kant’s utopia, using cat. imp.
and treating people with respect
TMTS Ch.8, "Virtue Ethics" pp.391-392, 396412
ethics of conduct (what to do?) vs. virtue ethics
(how to be?)
virtue (arete: excellence)
The late 20th century revival of virtue ethics
[from your notes]
Christianity (God gets credit for good character)
vs. ancient virtue ethics (you take credit for
creating your own good character)
The charges against Socrates: offending gods,
corrupting youth
Socrates’ final words: owing a rooster to
Asclepius
Socrates: People do morally wrong acts out of
ignorance
Plato: 3 parts of the soul: reason, willpower,
appetites
3 corresponding virtues: wisdom, courage,
temperance
Freud’s three parts of the psyche: id, ego,
superego
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Plato’s three sections of the ideal state:
philosopher-kings, police & military, and the
general population
Women’s place in the ideal state determined by
talent, not gender. So: women in gov’t, and
military.
TMTS Ch.9, "Aristotle's Virtue Theory" pp.440458, 460-462+ Narrative: “Icarus”
Aristotle's theory of four causes: material,
efficient, formal, final
teleology: theory of purpose
teleological explanation vs. causal explanation
(“giraffes”)
the Golden Mean= relative mean between
extremes of excess and deficiency
examples of virtues (courage, pride, anger, etc.)
happiness (eudaimonia) is the reward of virtue
Aristotle had enormous influence on Western
and Middle Eastern thinking.
Problems with ancient virtue ethics:
undemocratic; can’t solve difference of opinion.
Narrative: “The Flight of Icarus”: the Golden
Mean: not too high, not too low
examples of virtues (courage, pride, anger, etc.)
happiness (eudaimonia) is the reward of virtue
Time permitting:
Ch.10, “Contemporary Perspectives” pp.477480
The late 20th century revival of virtue ethics by
Philippa Foot and others
The political aspect of conduct vs. character:
Are social policies more important than a
politician’s character?
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NOTES