PHIL 3100 -- Ethical Theory
Fall 2018
Prof. Chris Heathwood
TA: Julia Uhr
University of Colorado Boulder
What We Did Each Day
(or plan/hope to do)
WEEK 1
M 8/27: First day stuff: Introductions (especially concerning stuttering), syllabus.
W 8/29: Informal discussion of issues in metaethics. Example of teenagers and the cat. Some initial views that some of you came up with on what we are saying when we say that the act is wrong: we are saying:
- that they shouldn't do that
- that what they are doing violates the norms of our culture
- that we don't like what they are doing
- that what they are doing violates my personal standards
- that what they are doing is causing pain
- that they are treating another in a way that they would not want to be treated
- that God disapproves of what they are doing ...
List-A terms vs. List-B terms: evaluative/normative terms vs. descriptive/naturalistic terms.
Lots of jargon: subjectivism, relativism, reductionism, naturalism, non-reductionism, objectivism, constructivism.
WEEK 2
M 9/3: NO CLASS - LABOR DAY
W 9/5: Reading Quiz #1. What is ethics? What is metaethics? Evaluative/normative statements. Deontic statements, axiological statements, aretaic statements. Definitions of 'subjective property' and 'objective property'. Lots of examples; possible sources of confusion. Poll on "Is morality objective of subjective?" Results: subjective: 17; objective: 33.
WEEK 3
M 9/10: Moral Realism vs. Moral Anti-Realism. Subjectivism/Constructivism; Non-Cognitivism; Nihilism. Realist Reductionism/Naturalism; Non-Naturalism.
W 9/12: Reading Quiz #2. The Analytic/Synthetic Distinction. The Empirical/A Priori Distinction. Empiricism. Rationalism. A Possible Example of a Synthetic A Priori Truth.
WEEK 4
M 9/17: Reading Quiz #3. Why ethical knowledge is a potential problem for Empiricism. Ayer's solution. Individual Subjectivism: Belief Subjectivism and its Problems; Humean Subjectivism.
W 9/19: Humean Subjectivism. Disapproval. The difference between Subjectivism and Non-Cognitivism. Moore's No-Difference Argument against Humean Subjectivism. Arguing Against a Theory. Giving the rationale for a premise. Some Other Forms of Constructivism: Humanist Relativism, Cultural Relativism, Divine Command Theory, Ideal Observer Theory. Do any of these imply what Moore says Humean Subjectivism implies? Do any of these imply something similar? Do any of these imply nothing similar?
WEEK 5
M 9/24: The Arbitrariness Problem for Constructivism. Socrates' Question. The Constructivist's Answer and the Realist's Answer. The Ideal Observer Theory. The Arbitrariness Problem as a reduction ad absurdum argument.
W 9/26: Reading Quiz #4. The objective/subjective distinction ("horizontal") vs. the reductionist/non-reductionist distinction ("vertical"). What is reductionism? What is naturalism? What are natural properties? Reductive views in other areas. Is DCT a form of reductionism? Is it a form of naturalism? Does reductionism entail naturalism? Does naturalism entail reductionism?
WEEK 6
M 10/1: Announced new missed-quiz policy (see syllabus). Assigned First Paper. Discussed Philosophy Paper FAQ. Non-Reductive Naturalism. Non-Naturalism / Intuitionism. Reductionism and: the nature of the moral; moral knowledge; moral supervenience; Ockham's razor. Two kinds of reductionism in ethics: analytic/a priori vs. synthetic/empirical/a posteriori. Analytic Reductive Utilitarianism.
W 10/3: Reading Quiz #5. A look at the calendar. Analytic Reductive Utilitarianism vs. Utilitarianism as a theory in normative ethics. More on the epistemology of Analytic Reductionism. Two questions. Two definitions of 'open question'. Moore's Open Question Argument.
WEEK 7
M 10/8: Handed out and discussed Combined Handout on Metaethics. What is Intuitionism? What is Nihilism? Intuitionist Moral Epistemology. The Concept of Epistemic Justification. Inferential vs. Non-Inferential Epistemic Justification. Examples of non-inferentially justified beliefs, based on different kinds of appearances (perceptual, introspective, mnemonic). The Regress Argument for the Idea that Some Moral Beliefs Must Be Non-Inferentially Justified (if any are justified at all). Possible Examples of Non-Inferentially Justified Moral Beliefs. Intellectual appearances / rational intuition.
W 10/10: Reading Quiz #6. Striking Ross passage. Four of Mackie's arguments against Intuitionism: (1) Queer Supervenience; (2) Queer Motivation/Magnetism; (3) Queer Knowing; (4) The Argument from Relativity / Disagreement. The Argument from Disagreement Against Intuitionism/Moral Realism. Examples of Moral Disagreement. Why widespread disagreement might seem surprising if Moral Realism is true. Can a Cultural Relativist explain or even be consistent with disagreement, at least between cultures? How Nihilism explains disagreement. Realist responses to the Argument from Disagreement: to P1: (a) the non-moral roots of much apparent moral disagreement; (b) the even more widespread agreement.
WEEK 8
M 10/15: Discussed grading of First Papers. Review for Midterm.
W 10/17: Midterm Part 1. Return Midterm Part 1. More review.
WEEK 9
M 10/22: Midterm Part 2. BRING A BLUEBOOK!!!
W 10/24: Three Areas of Ethics. Three Areas of Normative Ethics: Normative Ethics of Behavior; Axiology; Virtue/Vice Theory. Moral Principles. Some sample moral principles (KSP, PG, BP). Fully General Moral Principles. Necessary and sufficient conditions. A sample moral theory: 10C. The fundamental project of the normative ethics of behavior. A couple more sample theories: GR, GHP. Refuting Moral Theories. Counterexamples. Counterexamples to 10C. Tips for giving good counterexamples.
WEEK 10
M 10/29: Reading Quiz #7. What are some uncontroversially wrong actions? What do they have in common? The Suffering Principle. Problems with the Suffering Principle: Happiness matters too. A famous passage by Mill. How best to state Mill's idea? Mistaken formulations. Hedonic utility. Our official formulation: AUh. Understanding AUh.
W 10/31: (class cancelled due to illness)
WEEK 11
M 11/5: Reading Quiz #8. Returned and Reviewed Bluebooks (Midterm Part 2). Understanding AUh. Possible Counterexamples to AUh: Promise-to-the-Dead-Man Objection; Punish-the-Innocent Objection; Footbridge case; the Demandingness Objection.
W 11/7: Problems for Utilitarianism. A Possibly Common Root to these Objections. Preliminaries on Moral Rights: moral rights not legal rights; negative rights vs. positive rights. Utilitarianism of Rights (UR). UR and Footbridge; UR and Punish the Innocent; UR and Demandingness.
WEEK 12
M 11/12: Reading Quiz #9. Rights as Side-Constraints. RT. Who Has Rights? Personhood Theory / Rationalism. What Rights Are There? Nozick's four categories of rights. Our Nozick-Inspired Rights Theory (NRT).
W 11/14: Second Paper Assignment. Philosophy Paper FAQ. NRT and Footbridge. NRT and the Punish-the-Innocent Objection. NRT and Demandingness. NRT and the Promise-to-the-Dead-Man Objection. Problems for Nozick's Rights Theory. Underdemandingness (Shallow Pond). Locke's appeal to positive rights. The Anna Case.
-- T H A N K S G I V I N G B R E A K --
WEEK 13
M 11/26: W.D. Ross. The Concept of a Prima Facie Duty. The Promise/Accident example. The Splinter example. Ross's List of Prima Facie Duties: (a) Fidelity; (b) Reparations (and how to apologize); (c) Gratitude; (d) Justice; (e) Beneficence; (f) Self-Improvement; (g) Non-Maleficence.
W 11/28: Reading Quiz #10. Rossian Pluralism (RP). Applications of Rossian Pluralism. How we know what maximizes p-f rightness over wrongness on Ross' view.
WEEK 14
M 12/3: Reading Quiz #11. Deontology. Ross's Argument from Promises against AU. Is Deontology Irrational?
W 12/5: "Reading Quiz" #12. Collected second papers. FCQ's. Impromptu Ethical Theory Mini-Conference.
WEEK 15
M 12/10: Review Day
W 12/12: Final Exam Part 1. Return Final Exam Part 1. More review.
FINALS WEEK
Tu 12/18, 7:30 p.m.: Final Exam Part 2. BRING A BLUEBOOK!
