Seminar
Description
Philosophy
430—Ethical Theories
Michael Taber
Spring 2018
St. Mary’s
The views we have about good and bad play
a decisive role not only in determining our actions, but in determining how we
think of ourselves and others, and how others think of us. Such views are,
therefore, of paramount personal and social importance. Yet how often do we get the opportunity to
think explicitly, seriously, and intensively about the foundations of our moral
beliefs and about what can be said for or against them? This seminar constitutes an extended
opportunity for such an investigation.
The issues we will face are so ubiquitous,
in fact, and the number of authors who have written powerful and worthwhile
meditations on them is large enough that we could easily make this project a
four-semester course sequence. You would, however, tire of me, even if you eventually would
come around to a subsequent intensity of gratitude seldom seen in your life.
Instead, we will blend together in one
semester readings from some classic thinkers (most notably, Aristotle, Kant,
and Mill) with many contemporary appliers, expositors and critics (like Harman,
Thomson, and Noddings), and with a helpful secondary
source as a guide through some of the issues raised in our primary sources.
A central aim of the seminar is to engage
these works and objections not simply as interesting bits of thought to come to
understand, but as positions on issues of such importance that we all are called to take a stand on them, whether with full
confidence or as a tentative test-drive.
The point is not, therefore, only
to understand, for example, what
Aristotle said, or how Annas updates it, or how
Noddings takes her view to be an alternative to it. Rather, you are to formulate your position on
the plausibility of the whats and the hows.
Formulating one’s position on something is
more complicated and interesting than deciding whether to give a “like” to
it. Blurting out “Oh, I don’t like THAT
one!” does not constitute thoughtful formulation of one’s position.
The material for this seminar will require
careful reading, judicious thinking, and active discussion. Be prepared to
engage in all three.
Student learning
outcomes
By the end of
the course, students will demonstrate the ability to:
1. situate important historical and contemporary
normative theories as demonstrated by citing similarities and divergences among
ethical thinkers.
2. apply important normative theories to issues of
contemporary relevance as demonstrated by applying ethical theories to issues
of relevance to society or to the student.
3. construct a critique of the reasoning used for
various arguments in ethics as demonstrated by being able to object to
thinkers' reasoning in support of their ethical positions.
4. ground claims about normative theories in
primary sources as demonstrated by anchoring their attributions to ethical
thinkers by citing relevant texts.
5. construct effective oral communication of ideas in
ethics as demonstrated by contributing to class discussion or giving a class
presentation.
6. construct effective written communication of ideas
in ethics as demonstrated by writing well-organized essays.
Send me mail: mstaber at smcm dot edu
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