PH 304 ETHICS

This is the (sluggishly) dynamic syllabus for the course named above at VMI.  It is dynamic in the sense that it can change if links break or if I find some better material to link to.  It is sluggish because I do not intend to make many such changes.  The assigned reading for each class is given below, either as a set of links to other pages (which will often contain further links, which I encourage you to explore) or as material that I have put together especially for this course.  If you have any questions, please contact me.

T Jan 15  Introduction

R Jan 17  Why Be Good? (WBG) pp. 1-8. 

T Jan 22  Plato.  Read WBG Chapter One.  Plato's Republic is available online here.  

T Jan 29  Drugs.  Online reading here and here.

R Jan 31  Aristotle.  Read WBG Chapter Two.

T Feb 05  Euthanasia.  Online reading: here and here.   

R Feb 07  Review and QUIZ

T Feb 12  Christianity.  Read WBG Chapter Three.  First papers due.

R Feb 14  Infanticide.  Online reading: here and here.  

T Feb 19  Aquinas.  Read WBG Chapter Four.  

R Feb 21  Sexual ethics.  Online reading here.

T Feb 26  Review and QUIZ

R Feb 28  Hobbes.  Read WBG Chapter Five.

T Mar 04  Abortion.  Online reading: general, Jewish views, Christian views, a well-known pro-choice philosophical argument, and another.

R Mar 06   Hume.  Read WBG Chapter Six.

T Mar 11  Suicide.  Online reading: suicide and euthanasia.

R Mar 13  Review and QUIZ

SPRING FURLOUGH

T Mar 25  Kant.  Read WBG Chapter Seven.

R Mar 27  Capital punishment.  Online reading: general, Biblical views, Kant's view, and a Buddhist view.   

R Apr 03  Mill.  Read WBG Chapter Eight.

T Apr 08  Torture.  Online reading here and here.  Second papers due.

R Apr 10  Review and QUIZ

T Apr 15  Nietzsche.  Read WBG Chapter Nine. 

R Apr 17  War.  Online reading: general, the Buddhist view, the Jewish view.  You might also want to look at www.justwartheory.com.

T Apr 22  20^th Century Ethics.  Read WBG Chapter Ten.

R Apr 24  20^th Century Ethics continued, and conclusion.  Read WBG Conclusion.

R Apr 29  Review and QUIZ

R May 01  Review

Other links of possible interest:

Immanuel Kant, Kant's moral theory, relativism, subjectivism, objectivism and subjectivism, religion and morality, egoism, utilitarianism, social contract theory, virtue ethics, equality and discrimination, political philosophy, Søren Kierkegaard, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Martin Heidegger, Philip Larkin I, Larkin II and Larkin III, Kingsley Amis, Jewish views on sexual ethics and other views, Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, the importance of trust, saying what you mean, meaning what you say