Seminar
Description
Philosophy
333—Ethical Theories
Michael Taber
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.
We will therefore thread together some classic and
some contemporary readings on this topic, and we will use the issue of altruism
and egoism as the lens through which we will examine many of our readings.
A common view of what is missing in a life of greed
and manipulation is the concern for the well-being of others, be they gods,
humans, pandas, or rhododendrons. This
is, however, demonstrably false. An
exploiter can (and in some prudential sense, should) be quite concerned for the continued well-being of the
exploited. A master knows the value of
the slave being healthy, just as you don’t get moral points for changing your
oil and rotating your tires regularly.
An improvement upon this first view is that what is
missing in the greedy and manipulative life is a concern for the well-being of
others for the others’ sakes. This certainly seems at least a more adequate
view.
This is not as straightforward a suggestion as we
might hope, however. (Philosophically
important views rarely are.) We need to
clarify what it is to act for another’s sake, and whether it is even possible for humans to do it, even on
our best days. Relatedly, and somewhat
the opposite, might it be possible that it is unavoidable to care for others for the others’ sake? That is, is there really any way to live a
life entirely for one’s own
sake?
Course 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.
Land acknowledgement pledge:
We acknowledge that the land on
which we are learning, working, and gathering today is the ancestral home of
the Yacocomico and Piscataway Peoples. We also acknowledge that St. Mary’s City
was partly built and sustained by enslaved people of African descent. Through
this acknowledgement, we recognize these communities and all those who have
been displaced and enslaved through colonization.
The goal of the land
acknowledgment pledge is not only to respect and honor the contributions of
Indigenous Peoples and enslaved people of African descent, but to support and
learn from all diverse communities in order to build a more sustainable future.
Send
me mail: mstaber at smcm dot edu
Go to the home page
for this course.
Go to Michael
Taber's home page.
Go to the SMCM
home page.