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.