Schedule for PHIL 160

Spring 2008

To view a reading, click on one below. The readings are all in PDF format, so you will need an appropriate PDF viewer. Adobe Acrobat is the most common one. Some PDF viewers will allow you print the document from here. If you have trouble printing, try right-clicking (Windows) or ctrl-clicking (Macintosh), saving, and printing from your harddisk.

Introductory Material

Tue Jan 29: Course Introduction, Logistics

Thur Jan 31: Introductory Lecture: What is philosophy? (no reading)

Tue Feb. 5: Euthyphro

Unit 1: Two Classic Normative Theories

Thur Feb. 7: Bentham, "Quantitative Utilitarianism"; Mill, "Qualitative Utilitarianism"

Tue Feb 12: Smart, “Hedonistic and Non-Hedonistic Utilitarianism” (plus the short sections 4 and 5).

Thur Feb 14: Williams, “A Critique of Utilitarianism” pp. 93-104.

Tue Feb 19: No Class (Monday Schedule)

Thur Feb 21: Williams, continued, pp. 104-118 (use the file from Feb. 14); First take-home assignment due.

Tue Feb 26: Kant, sections from Groundwork for a Metaphysics of Morals (all)

Thur Feb 28: Kant, continued.

Tue March 4: Rachels, “Kant and the Categorical Imperative”

Thur March 6: Overflow

Tue March 11: No Class (Study for Mid-term)

Thur March 13: Mid-Term Examination

March 15 - March 23: Spring Break

Unit 2: Virtue Ethics

Tue March 25: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book I.

Thur March 27: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, sections 1-4.

Tue April 1: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, sections 5-9.

Thur April 3: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book III, 1-5.

Tue April 8: Aristotle, Bk. III, continued.

Thur April 10: MacIntyre, from After Virtue, pp. 277-287.

Tue April 15: MacIntyre, continued.

Thur April 17: MacIntyre, from After Virtue, pp. 287-296.

Unit 3: Meta-Ethics and Other Topics

Tue April 22: Topic: Ethical and Psychological Egoism. James Rachels, “Egoism and Moral Scepticism”.

Thur April 24: Topic: Relativism. Paul Taylor, “Ethical Relativism”.

Tue April 29: Topic: Moral Realism and Anti-Realism. No Reading. Second take-home assignment due.

Thur May 1: Topic: Weakness of Will. Plato, from Protagoras; Aristotle, NE, Book VII, Ch. 2-3.

Tue May 6: Topic: Moral Motivation. Rosati, “Moral Motivation”. Read only the introduction, section 1, and section 3.2: “Internalism vs. Externalism.”

Thur May 8:

(i) Field Trip: We will meet for coffee at Amherst Coffee in downtown Amherst during our usual classtime. Coffee is on me.

(ii) Film: Die Marquise von O. by Eric Rohmer. Please join me in our regular classroom at 7:30 PM for a showing of this film. Attendance is optional, but highly appreciated.

Tue May 13: Second Exam