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PHI 3638
Section U01A Contemporary
Ethical Issues Summer A 2012 Dr. Kenneth Henley. Office: DM 344B Phone: 348-3346 Office Hours: Mon. & Wed. 8:00 a.m.-9:15
a.m. & 12:30-1:30
Website: http://www.fiu.edu/~henleyk
Text: Christopher W. Morris, Questions of Life and Death. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. ISBN 9780195156980
Course Objectives: 1. To stimulate philosophical
reflection upon several contemporary ethical issues. 2. To provide an account of the basic
normative ethical theories, and explain their application to these issues. 3. To improve skills of reasoning and
argument: searching for consistency and
coherence, clarifying questions, ferreting out presuppositions, weighing
reasoning and evidence, and exploring alternative accounts of disputed
concepts.
Requirements: THIS CLASS IS NOT CONDUCTED VIA E-MAIL OR
ON-LINE. PAPERS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED IN CLASS, NOT VIA E-MAIL. Class
attendance is required. Students must
read the assignment before coming to class.
Class attendance, participation and discussion are important, and may
make a difference in the course grade if the student's final average is on the
borderline between two grades.
Two approximately 6-page papers are required. Topics and
instructions will be provided in class as the term progresses. While the most
important dimension is the quality of the reasoning and philosophical
understanding, grades on papers also reflect all elements of writing: grammar, punctuation,
sentence and paragraph structure, clarity of expression, and overall essay
structure. There will be a comprehensive final examination. Each paper and the final examination will
count as 1/3 of the final average for the course. Note that a student cannot pass without
completing all work.
Incompletes will be given only in cases of unforeseeable and
severe circumstances beyond the student's control, such as documented illness
or injury.
May 7 Moral (Ethical) Theories—afterwards read Mark Timmons, pp. 501-30
May 9 Why Is Death an Evil?: Rachels pp.25-36; Nagel pp. 36-41; Nozick pp. 41-46
May 14 What Makes Our Lives Go Well?: Aquinas pp. 48-54; Hobbes pp. 54-55; Nozick pp.55-57; Nussbaum pp. 58-62; Parfit pp. 62-69; Nagel pp.70-72
May 16 Euthanasia: John Paul II pp. 312-14; Rachels pp. 315-27; Kamm pp. 328-36; Velleman pp. 337-45; Buchanan pp. 346-60
May 21 Suicide: Seneca pp. 299-302; Aquinas 302-04; Hume pp. 304-09
May 23 Killing in War: Morris pp. 98-107; Hobbes pp. 108-09; Aquinas pp. 110-111; Truman pp. 112-13; Rawls pp. 113-18; Nagel pp. 119-30; Walzer pp. 131-42; Orwell pp. 142-43; Mavrodes pp. 143-51; McMahan pp. 151-67
May 28 University Closed—Memorial Day
May 30 Terrorism: Frey & Morris pp. 170-75; Lomasky pp. 176-90; Lackey pp. 190-97; Fullinwider pp. 197-205
June 4 No class
June 6 Saving Lives: Famine: Singer pp. 74-83; Leif Wenar, “What We Owe to Distant Others” (see my website); Thomas Pogge, “Eradicating Systemic Poverty…” (see my website) Guest Professor: Dr. Paul Warren
June 11 Capital Punishment: Aquinas pp. 209-10; Kant pp. 210-14; John Paul II pp. 214-15; Amnesty International pp. 215-16; Bedau pp. 216-29; Pojman pp. 230-43; Morris pp. 243-59
June 13 Abortion: John Paul II pp. 381-85; Thomson pp. 386-97; Warren pp. 397-403; Marquis pp. 403-15; McMahan pp. 416-27; Mills 427-42; Gomberg pp. 443-51
June 18 Animals: Aquinas pp. 262-63; Kant pp. 263-64; Singer pp. 264-74; Carruthers pp. 274-84; Norcross pp. 285-96. Second Half--Review
June 20 Comprehensive Final Exam. Students must provide their own Blue
Books.
Study
Questions
1.What is
the Principle of Utility? (State a basic form of the principle.)
2.What is
the Doctrine of Double Effect? (Give a simple statement of the doctrine.)
3.What is
the version of Kant’s Categorical Imperative that Timmons calls “The Humanity
Formulation?”
4.In W.D.
Ross’s ethical theory, what is meant by “prima facie duty?”
5.What is Epicurus’s argument concerning death?
6.Why does Rachels think that killing is usually wrong?
7.What does Nozick mean by “traces?”
8.What is
Aquinas’s view of human happiness (beatitude)?
9.What is Nozick’s “Experience Machine?”
10.Why does Nagel think
that life may be absurd?
11.What is Hume’s view of
suicide?
12.What is “passive
euthanasia?”
13.John Paul II condemns what
kind of euthanasia?
14.What does Rachels argue about the distinction between active and
passive euthanasia?
15.Velleman argues
something surprising about having choices concerning the end-stages of terminal
illness. What does he claim?
16.Aquinas argues that
what three requirements must be met to justify going to war?
17.How does the Doctrine
of Double Effect apply to euthanasia from the Natural Law viewpoint?
18.How does the Doctrine
of Double Effect apply to justice in the means of waging war from the Natural
Law viewpoint?
19.Walzer argues that what
circumstances can justify directly attacking non-combatant civilian
populations?
20.What does Lomasky mean by “the terrorist’s logic of inversion?”
21.What point is Fullinwider making when he quotes Deuteronomy 20?
22.What is Singer’s
principle concerning our obligation to contribute to famine relief? (Give
either the strong or the moderate version.)
23.Aquinas viewed the
death penalty as justified to protect society. John Paul II provides what
different view?
24.What is retributivism?
25.What is the main goal
of punishment for the utilitarian, and what is the main means of achieving that
goal?
26.What is the forfeiture
account of punishment?
27.John Paul II condemns
abortion on what grounds?
28.What is Thomson’s vivid
imaginary analogy for a pregnant woman?
29.What are the traits
central to personhood according to Warren?
30.What does Marquis see
as the wrong-making feature of killing?
31.Jeff McMahan argues
that each of us begins to exist only when what capacity is present?
32.What does Gomberg mean by
“nurturance” and how does he connect this with conservative versus liberal
views of abortion?
Second Paper Assignment
Due: Wed., June 13th at the
beginning of class
Length: Five or six pages,
double-spaced, standard margins and font. Do not use a binder or folder of any kind;
simply staple the paper or use a standard small paperclip. The
paper is to be submitted in class as hard-copy, not by e-mail.
Follow my “Writing a Philosophy Paper” guidelines, found on my
website,
In a short paper such as this, your thesis must be focused on a
particular point or argument within the reading(s). There must be argument
on your part, whether interpretive, critical, or both.
Choose one of the following topics. In each case you would need to
find a specific point for the paper—your thesis within the more general topic.
1.
Killing in War
2.
Terrorism
3.
Saving Lives: Famine
4.
Capital Punishment
Your essay must have
a clear thesis.
Your essay should focus on a central point or a crucial argument
found in one of our readings, or on opposing arguments found in two or
more of our readings. Direct discussion of passages from the reading(s) is
required.
You may either defend a clearly defined thesis concerning some
specific point or argument in the reading(s), or defend a thesis concerning the
controversy itself, responding directly to arguments in the reading(s).
The use of sources additional to
our assigned reading is greatly discouraged. There is plenty to explain and
critically discuss in the assigned reading(s).
First
Paper Assignment
Due: Wed., May 23 at the beginning
of class
Length: Five or six pages,
double-spaced, standard margins and font. Do not use a binder or folder of any
kind; simply staple the paper or use a standard small paperclip. The
paper is to be submitted in class as hard-copy, not by e-mail.
Follow my “Writing a Philosophy Paper” guidelines, found on my
website,
In a short paper such as this, your thesis must be focused on a
particular point or argument within the reading(s). There must be argument
on your part, whether interpretive, critical, or both.
Choose one of the following topics. In each case you would need to
find a specific point for the paper—your thesis within the more general topic.
1.
Why is Death an Evil?
2.
What Makes Our Lives Go Well?
3.
Suicide
4. Euthanasia
Your essay must have
a clear thesis.
Your essay should focus on a central point or a crucial argument
found in one of our readings, or on opposing arguments found in two or
more of our readings. Direct discussion of passages from the reading(s) is
required.
You may either defend a clearly defined thesis concerning some
specific point or argument in the reading(s), or defend a thesis concerning the
controversy itself, responding directly to arguments in the reading(s).
The use of sources additional to our assigned reading is greatly discouraged. There is plenty to explain and critically discuss in the assigned reading(s).