Syllabus Approaches to Ethics Philosophy 214 Spring 2008 Instructor: Jim Butler Phone: 985-3943 Office: 203D Draper Hours: MWF 9-10 &11-12 email: jim_butler@berea.edu CPO 1914 Webpage: http://faculty.berea.edu/butlerj/default.html The focus of this class is an introduction to normative ethical theory. Normative ethics is the study of human goodness, right action and what we ought to do (as opposed to what we may in fact do). Thus the fundamental questions in philosophical ethics are “what is the good for humans?” and “what makes an action right?” We will critically examine various authors’ answers to these questions, which includes a variety of perspectives. One should note that, from these different perspectives, one should not assume that every author agrees on what constitutes the human good, or even on the meaning of the human good. Texts: Classic Utilitarians: Bentham and Mill. Hackett (0-87220-649-1) Plato. Five Dialogues. Hackett (0915145227) Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Hackett (0-915144-61-1) Kant. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals. Hackett (872201678) Butler, Joseph. Five Sermons. Hackett (0-915145-61-8) Nietzsche. On The Genealogy Of Morality. Hackett (0-87220-283-6) Readings to be accessed from my web page Requirements: In this class we will be scrutinizing arguments and texts in order to discuss and to fully understand the ideas presented. Thus, students should come to class having read the assigned texts carefully and be prepared to discuss the material. The final grade for the course will be based on the following: 3 Tutorials - 20% each Small papers - 30% Class Participation -10% Policies: Late papers: Late papers will be accepted, but because the student has taken extra time, late papers will be held to a higher standard of achievement. Basically, the later the paper, the tougher it will be graded. Grade scale: Standard A=90& up, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69, F= under 60. I will not use the +/- system for final grades. Regular attendance is a requirement of the class. Those students who miss a substantial amount of class will be penalized on their final grades. 1 No form of academic dishonesty will be tolerated. See Student Handbook for more details TENTATIVE SCHEDULE [Notice that this syllabus is tentative. We may, depending on the amount of discussion, end up going slightly faster or slower than the syllabus states. I will always announce in class the assignment for the next class. So if you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what the assignments are for the upcoming classes, rather than just following the syllabus.] WEEK 1 Introduction to Ethical Theory Plato :Euthyphro WEEK 2 Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics WEEK 3 Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics Short paper due WEEK 4 Butler: Five Sermons WEEK 5 Butler: Five Sermons First tutorial WEEK 6 Kant: Grounding WEEK 7 Kant: Grounding Short paper due WEEK 8 Bentham Second tutorial ************************* Spring Break ********************* WEEK 9 Mill WEEK 10 Mill WEEK 11 Feminism Short paper due WEEK 12 Nietzsche WEEK 13 Nietzsche WEEK 14 Socrates Final tutorial 2 3