Section 200                                                                                   Professor Michael Tooley
MW 11:00-11:50                                                                          Office hours:   Monday, 12:00-1:50
Atlas, 100                                                                                      Hellems, Room 277

Textbook

        We will be using the following text in this course:

       In addition, purchase of a University-supported i-clicker will be necessary, and your i-clicker should be brought to all of the lectures, as no spare i-clickers will be available.

        Some of the reading assignments are either from an earlier version of Applying Ethics, or from Matters of Life and Death, 3rd edition, edited by Tom Regan.  These readings will be placed on e-reserve.

       Finally, the first two assignments, and two of the topics, involve some readings from the Bible, so you will need to have access to a reliable and accurate version of the Bible - one that contains scholarly translations, rather than edifying paraphrases, of the original texts.

       Copies of satisfactory versions are available in Norlin library, but the simplest solution, if you do not have a scholarly translation, is to read the Bible online.  A very good location for doing that is http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/kjv.browse.html

Lectures

        In a later section of this syllabus, topics and relevant readings are listed, together with an approximate indication of when those topics will be covered.  You should do the readings in advance, and then think about the issues, so that when an opportunity arises in a lecture to set out your opinion on the issue in question, you are prepared to offer a thoughtful view, along with your reasons for thinking that your view is correct.

        Lectures will often incorporate a mini critical thinking session, in which we discuss some controversial issue.  When this is the case, the topic to be discussed will be announced in the preceding lecture, and you should come to class prepared to advance a view on the issue, and a reason for your view.

Lectures and I-Clickers

        One of the advantages of the use of i-clickers is that it enables people to express opinions on topics where they might be otherwise hesitant to do so ¬– for example, on very controversial topics – if everyone in the class then knew what their views were on that topic.  The i-clicker program, however, as it is presently set up, records all the answers that are given, so that there will be a record on my laptop.  But if you do not register your i-clicker, that record will not be connected in any way with your name.  Consequently, my recommendation is this:

Do NOT register your i-clicker, unless you are forced to do so because of another class that you are currently taking.  (If you have already registered your i-clicker, just de-register it.)

        Even if you are forced to register your i-clicker because of another class that you are taking where i-clickers are used to check on class participation, of for testing, I will still not have any knowledge of your answers, since I will not be downloading the file that correlates names with i-clickers that have been registered.  But if you would prefer to remove all possibility of your answers being known by anyone in the case of some of the more controversial questions and issues that we will be discussing, simply refrain from answering those questions.

Recitation Sections

        Recitation sections will begin on Friday, August 31, and you should come to the first meeting with a downloaded copy of Exercise 1.  The schedule, and the topic for each recitation, is set out below.  Weeks 2 through 5 will be devoted to the presentation of critical thinking material.  Subsequent weeks will then take the form of debates or discussions.  As preparation for those discussions and debates, you should begin by doing all of the assigned reading for the relevant topic.  Then you should try to arrive at a view on the issue to be discussed or debated, and you should come to the recitation prepared both to state your own view, and to argue in support of it.

        It is possible that i-clickers may be used in some recitations.  If so, you will be informed about this later.

Course Work

       Your grade in this course will be based upon six exercises, two essay-writing exercises (each involving two parts), a final examination, participation as a debater in one debate in the recitation sections, and full attendance at the other recitation debates.

Please note the following very important points:

(1) All assignments are to be downloaded from the Philosophy 1100 website, which is http://spot.Colorado.EDU/~tooley/Philosophy1100Current.html.

(2) You should download Exercise 1, and bring it to the recitation on Friday, August 31.

(3) All assignments are to be handed in at the beginning of your recitation section on Fridays.

(4) Late assignments are to be handed in at the lecture the following Monday. The policy concerning late assignments is set out below.

(5) Whenever you hand in an assignment, you should bring a downloaded copy of the next assignment to that recitation, since that is when the assignment will be explained and discussed.

Web Sites for Philosophy 1100

        My home page is:  http://spot.Colorado.EDU/~tooley/

       Course materials are posted for this course on the following web site:

        http://spot.Colorado.EDU/~tooley/Philosophy1100Current.html

        Those course materials include the following:  (1) the exercises, and essay assignments and instructions; (2) a course syllabus; (3) a course overview; (4) lecture material relevant to the exercises; (5) some lectures on a few other topics; (6) a final examination handout; and (7) some additional readings for the course.

Exercise 1:  The Infallibility of the Bible.  (5%)    

Due date:  Friday, September 7

Exercise 2:  Morality and the Bible.      (5%)

Due date:  Friday, September 14

Exercise 3:  Validity.            (5%)

Due date:  Friday, September 21

Exercise 4:  Inference-Indicators and the Logical Structure of Arguments.  (5%)

Due date:  Friday, September 28

Exercise 5:  Analyzing a More Complex Argument.    (5%)

Due date:  Friday, October 5

Exercise 6:  The Technique of Counterexamples.      (5%)

Due date:  Friday, October 12

First Essay:  A 1000-1200 word essay on a topic chosen from a list.  (20%)

Sub-assignments:

(a) Your basic thesis, your central supporting argument, and one important objection that you will address.  (5%)

Due date: Friday, October 19

(b) The completed essay.  (15%)

Due date: Friday, November 9

Second Essay:  A 1000-1200 word essay on a topic chosen from a list.  (20%)

Sub-assignments:

(a) Your basic thesis, your central supporting argument, and one important objection that you will address.  (5%)

Due date: Friday, November 16

(b) The completed essay.  (15%)

Due date: Friday, December 7

          In learning to think critically about issues, among the most crucial habits that one needs to develop are the following.  (1)  the habit of getting very clear about all of the important alternative views on a given issue; (2) the habit of attempting to offer good reasons for one's own views; (3) the habit of seeking out, and then carefully considering, the most important objections to one's own views.

        These habits of thinking, like any habits, can only be acquired through practice, and the debates that we will be having in the recitation sections will play a crucial role in that regard.

Participation as a Debater:  :  Each student will take part in one in-class debate, for which it is crucial that one be on time.  One will then submit a written, 200-300 word summary of one’s own contribution to that debate.  That summary is to be handed in at the recitation section the week after the debate.  (8%)

Attendance at Debates: Attendance at debates involving formal presentations by other students is compulsory, and attendance at all debates is worth a total of 2%.  One-half a percentage point will be deducted from that 2% for each unexcused absence from a debate.  (2%)

        There will be a two and one-half hour, closed book examination on Monday, December 17th, 10:30 a.m. –1:00 p.m. in Atlas 100.  (20%)

(1) If you are not going to be able to hand in an assignment by the due date, you need to contact the person who is teaching your recitation section - that is, either Kristin Demetriou (Kristin.Demetriou@Colorado.EDU), Blake Andrews (blake_ta@yahoo.com), or Nick Westmiles (nicholas.westmiles@gmail.com).

(2) This should be done no later than the time at which the assignment is due.

(3) The person in question will decide whether there is an adequate reason for late submission.

(4) If it is determined that there is an adequate reason for late submission, supporting documentation - such as a medical note - will generally be required, and it should be provided as soon as possible.

(5) If there is no adequate reason why you were unable to complete the assignment by the time of the beginning of the recitation on the due date, the assignment may be handed in at the lecture the following Monday, but it will receive only half credit.  No credit will be given for assignments that are handed in any later than that, unless there is an adequate excuse for the lateness.

August 31:                Introduction, and Discussion of Exercise 1

September 7:             Critical Thinking:  The Concept of Validity           

September 14:           Critical Thinking:  Inference Indicators             

September 21:           Critical Thinking:  Extracting Arguments           

September 28:           Critical Thinking: Counterexamples           

October 5:                 Debate 1:  Everything in the Bible is True           

October 12:               Debate 2:  The Bible is Always Right on Moral Matters           

October 19:               Debate 3:  Unmarried People Should Not Engage in Sexual Intercourse

October 26:               Debate 4:  The Enjoyment of Pornography is Morally Wrong

November 2:             Debate 5:  Homosexual Sex is Morally Wrong

November 9:             Debate 6:  Voluntary Active Euthanasia Should Remain Illegal

November 16:           Debate 7:  Some Non-Human Animals Have Serious Moral Rights

November 23:           Thanksgiving Week   

November 30:           Debate 8:  The Cloning of Humans Should Never Be Permitted

December 7:              Debate 9:  Abortion is Murder

December 14:            Final Review Session

Note:  As there will be at most 26 people in each recitation section, and each debate will require four presenters, there will be only seven debates, so that two of the debate sessions will take the form of discussions, rather than prepared debates.  The division into debates versus discussions will be based upon the availability of people on both sides of the topic, and on the interest in the topic.

          The topics to be covered in this course, along with the required readings, are given below.  The dates in parentheses indicate the lectures that will probably be devoted to each topic.  However, it may be necessary to modify this schedule slightly, depending upon class interest in the various topics.  You should attempt to complete a significant part of the readings assigned for a given topic before the first class in which that topic is to be covered.

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "The Will of God", in chapter 1 of Applying Ethics, pages 12-13.

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Good Reasoning" - chapter 2 of Applying Ethics, pages 54-73.

Supplementary Readings

Tom Regan, section 1 of chapter 1 - "Introduction" - of Matters of Life and Death, pp. 1-3.

Tom Regan, "Meta-Ethics" - sections 2 through 6 of chapter 1 of Matters of Life and Death, pp. 3-12.

II.  Classical Theories in Normative Ethics                                                       (September 12)
 

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Moral Reasons" - chapter 1 of Applying Ethics, pages 2-22
.
Aristotle, "Moral Virtue", in Applying Ethics, pages 22-33.

Immanuel Kant, "Respect for Persons", in Applying Ethics, pages 34-40.

John Stuart Mill, "Utilitarianism", in Applying Ethics, pages 40-45.

Annette Baier, "The Need for More than Justice", in Applying Ethics, pages 45-53.

Supplementary Readings

Tom Regan, "Normative Ethics" - sections 7 through 20 of chapter 1 of Matters of Life and Death, pp. 12-29.

III.  Sexual Morality                                                                                        (September 17 - September 24)

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Sexual Morality" - chapter 3 of Applying Ethics, pages 76-86.

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Case Presentations" in chapter 3 of Applying Ethics, pages 119-126.

Readings from the Bible: Exodus, chapters 20-23; Leviticus, chapters 18-20, Deuteronomy, chapters 21-22; 1 Samuel, chapter 15; Matthew, chapter 5, verses 27-32; chapter 15, verses 19-20; chapter 19, verses 3-12; Mark, chapter 10, verses 2-12; Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 21-33; Romans, chapter 1, verses 18-32.

"The Vatican Declaration on Sexual Ethics" (1975)  (See course web site.)

Roger Scruton, "Sexual Morality", in Applying Ethics, pages 86-92.

Alan H. Goldman, "Plain Sex", in Applying Ethics, pages 93-104.

IV.  Homosexuality                                                                                              (September 26 – October 3)

V.  Pornography                                                                                                    (October 8 - October 10)

        The current edition of Applying Ethics does not – for reasons known only to the editors – cover this topic.  The following readings are from an earlier edition of Applying Ethics, and are available on e-reserve.

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Pornography" - chapter 4 of Applying Ethics,  pp. 123-33.

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Case Presentations" in chapter 4 of Applying Ethics,  pp. 165-70.

Walter Berns, "Beyond the (Garbage) Pale, or Democracy, Censorship and the Arts", in Applying Ethics,  pp. 133-6.

Ann Garry, "Pornography and Respect for Women", in Applying Ethics,  pp. 137-44.

Judge Jerome Frank, "Dissenting Opinion in United States v. Roth", in Applying Ethics,  pp. 145-54.

David A. J. Richards, "The Moral Theory of Free Speech and Obscenity Law", in Applying Ethics,  pp. 155-65.
 

VI.  Suicide and Euthanasia                                                                                 (October 15 – October 24)

A.  Suicide

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Euthanasia" - chapter 5 of Applying Ethics, pages 178-192.

Supplementary Reading

Tom Beauchamp, "Suicide" - chapter 3 of Matters of Life and Death, pp. 69-120.
 

B.  Euthanasia                                                          

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Euthanasia" - chapter 5 of Applying Ethics, pages 178-192.

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Case Presentations" in chapter 5 of Applying Ethics, pages 222-227.

J. Gay-Williams, "The Wrongfulness of Euthanasia", in Applying Ethics, pages 192-196.

James Rachels, "Active and Passive Euthanasia", in Applying Ethics, pages 196-200.

Philippa Foot, "Euthanasia", in Applying Ethics, pages 200-216.

James Rachels, "Euthanasia" - chapter 2 of Matters of Life and Death, pages 30-68.
 
 

VII.  The Moral Status of Animals                                                                  (October 29 - November 12)

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics" - chapter 11 of Applying Ethics, pages 452-464.

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Case Presentations" in chapter 11 of Applying Ethics, pages 501-505.

Peter Singer, "All Animals Are Equal", in Applying Ethics, pages 464-476.

Tom Regan, "The Case for Animal Rights", in Applying Ethics, pages 477-485.

Paul W. Taylor, "The Ethics of Respect for Nature", in Applying Ethics, pages 485-496.

William F. Baxter, "People or Penguins", in Applying Ethics, pages 497-501.

Peter Singer, "Animals and the Value of Life" - chapter 8 of Matters of Life and Death, pages 280-321.
 

VIII.  Human Cloning                                                                                            (November 14)

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Human Cloning and Stem Cell Research" - chapter 6 of Applying Ethics, pages 228-237.

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Case Presentations" in chapter 6 of Applying Ethics, pages 284-292.

Leon R. Kass, "The Wisdom of Repugnance", in Applying Ethics, pages 238-250.

Michael Tooley, "Moral Status of Cloning Humans", in Applying Ethics, pages 251-263.

Bonnie Steinbock, "The Morality of Killing Human Embryos”, in Applying Ethics, pages 263-274.

Paul Lauritzen, “Stem Cells, Biotechnology, and Human Rights: Implications for a Posthuman Future”, in Applying Ethics, pages 274-284.

IX.  Abortion                                                                                                           (November 26 - December 12)

Olen, Barry, and Van Camp, "Case Presentations" in chapter 4 of Applying Ethics, pages 173-177.

John T. Noonan, "An Almost Absolute Value in History", in Applying Ethics, pages 138-143.

Judith Jarvis Thomson, "A Defense of Abortion", in Applying Ethics, pages 143-155.

Mary Anne Warren, "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion", in Applying Ethics, pages 155-66.

Rosalind Hursthouse, "Virtue Theory and Abortion", in Applying Ethics, pages 166-73.

Supplementary Reading

Joel Feinberg and Barbara Baum Levenbook, "Abortion" - chapter 6 of Matters of Life and Death, pages 195-234.
 
 

       If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability please submit to me a letter from Disability Services by the final drop date of September 12, so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities (303-492-8671, Willard 322, www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices).

          Each student is expected to submit his or her own original work for each exercise, essay, and final exam.  (The only exception concerns the debates, where students are encouraged to work together.)

        The use of essays and other material downloaded from the Internet is obviously a serious case of plagiarism.  But, in general, any substantial use of material from any source must be clearly acknowledged, and any ideas should be expressed in one's own words.

        A first violation of this plagiarism policy, the University Honor Code, and/or the Honor Code pledge shown below will result in a grade of zero for the relevant piece of work, and, in accordance with University requirements, will have to be reported.  In addition, if that first violation is especially serious – such as the copying of a whole document – the result will be a failing grade for the course as a whole.

       A second violation will result in a failing grade for the course as a whole.

        Honor Code Pledge

“On my honor, as a University of Colorado at Boulder  student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work.”