Dr. Julie A. Allen (PhD)

allenj@yorku.ca

This course is designed as an introduction to moral philosophy from an historical and critical point of view.  The philosophers we'll study investigate central questions concerning human conduct and character.  This course explores some of the most important and influential ethical theories developed in the tradition of Western philosophy.  We will carefully study a selection of canonical texts, including works by Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Kant, and Mill.  We will consider issues arising from these texts which are relevant to both normative and meta-ethics.  Although the course focuses on historical works and a comparison of the moral doctrines therein expressed, we will undertake this study with an eye to their recurrent influence within contemporary moral philosophy.

Times and locations:   Please note that this is an online course, being taught remotely and asynchronously.   Thus, you will be able to take it remotely and online at times that fit your schedule, day to day, and week to week.  Nevertheless, excluding extenuating circumstances, you will have to complete the course requirements as scheduled and the final date for submission of requirements is Monday June 22^nd.  The entire course, including the submission of assignments, lecture slides, lecture recordings, discussion and test taking, will take place using  Moodle.    Tests will be scheduled  for a time between 2:30-5:30 on either Monday or Wednesday as indicated in the Syllabus but I will try to be as flexible as possible. 

Course webpage:    MOODLE

            Previously, I indicated that you would need to access Turnitin directly.

Thanks to the acceleration of Moodle capabilities and given the apparent solution to the York, “Cyber Attack”, my previous indication that we should directly access Turnitin, is no longer an issue.   I was using Turnitin as a back up way to present the course, but that seems, happily, to be unnecessary at this point.

Nevertheless, ***This course will use Turnitin*** as an academic honesty and plagiarism device.

Technical requirements for taking the course:   I will hold virtual office hours via Zoom.   You needn’t however appear on video, and the alternative of email is another way to have your questions answered.

Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

To determine Internet connection and speed, there are online tests, such as Speedtest, that can be run.]

Virtual office hours: I will host recurring virtual office hours via Zoom:

                                    Mondays:  4:30pm – 5:30pm

                        &         Wednesdays:  2:30pm – 3:30pm 

Appointment requests & questions can also be directed to me:  allenj@yorku.ca 

If virtual office hours via Zoom doesn’t work satisfactorily, I will provide another option.

There are six required books for this course.

Plato. Protagoras. Trans. G.M.A. Grube. Hackett, 1992.   ISBN: 0-87220-094-9

Plato. Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, (Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo.) Trans.Stanley Lombardo & Karen Bell, Hackett, 1981.  N.B.  Only the Euthyphro will be read in this course. ISBN: 0-87220-633-5

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. David Ross.  O.U.P. 1980.  ISBN: 0–19-283408-x

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan. Ed. John Gaskin.  Oxford University Press, 1998. (Selections)

ISBN: 0–19-2834883

Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals.  Trans. James W. Ellingson.  Hackett, 1993.

John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism. Ed. George Sher.  Hackett, 1979.

Textbooks are available for order from York’s Bookstore.

Free delivery within Canada.

Short analysis & summary assignment       10%    Monday May 18th

Two short essays (20% each)                                  40%    Monday June 1^st &  Monday June 22^nd

Participation Assignments (2)           10%   T.B.A.

Two Tests                                          40%   Wednesday May 27^th & Wednesday June 17

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE: READINGS & TOPICS

Monday May 11^th                 Student Guide to eLearning at York University

Some tips on reading philosophy

Philosophical arguments

“Guidelines for Philosophy Summaries” (posted on Moodle)

Wednesday May 13^th              Moral theory & the goal of living a “good life”

Objectivism versus Subjectivism

Hedonism

Psychological Egoism

Reading #1      Plato, Euthyphro (entire)

Reading #2      Robert Nozick, “The Experience Machine”

(This reading will be posted on Moodle)

Assignment 1 instructions.

Wednesday May 20^th              Assignment 1 due:  (200 words)

Critical Summary of Nozick’s, “The experience Machine”

Reading:  Plato, Protagoras (entire)

Plato versus the Sophists

Monday May 25^th                   Plato,  Protagoras (entire)

Moral conventionalism versus moral realism

Wednesday May 27^th             Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics (Books 1 & 10)

The quest for eudaimonia

TEST #1   (Moral theory, Plato & Aristotle)

Monday June 1^st                      Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics (Books 2, 3, 4 & 6)

The way to virtue.

Wednesday June 3^rd                Hobbes,  Leviathan (selections)

Part One, Of Man, Chapters, 6,8,10.11.13, 14, 15.

Egoism and the state of nature

Monday June 8^th                     Hobbes,  Leviathan (selections)

Part two,    Of Commonwealth, Chapters 17, 18, 19, 21

The Power of the Sovereign

Wednesday June 10^th              Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals

(First Section and Second Section)

Monday June 15^th                   Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals

(Third Section & Supplement)

Mill, Utilitarianism

Wednesday June 17^th              Mill, Utilitarianism

TEST #2   (Hobbes & Kant)

Monday June 22^nd                   Mill, Utilitarianism,  & Conclusions

Essay #2  Due

Students will learn to carefully and actively read a philosophical text and to provide an analysis of various philosophical arguments regarding the best way to live a good life.

Students will learn canonical answers to the following questions such as the following:

*    What is "ethics"?  Is there a difference between "ethics" and "morality"?

*          What do we mean by the terms `good', ‘valued’ or ‘pious’ or ‘holy’?

*          Is something good because it is desirable or desirable because it is good?

*          What relation, if any, is there between morality and various accounts of "human nature"?

*          Is there something which is the good for human beings? How does the good relate to happiness or eudaimonia?

*          Is morality simply a convention that allows us to strategically satisfy our egoistic desires?

*          Do individuals have moral duties and obligations?

Students will be provided with the tools to develop their ability to analyse a text and provide a critical summary of central arguments.

Students will learn to adopt and defend a position regarding the moral theories studied in the course.

You need an e-mail account, the following             course I.D.:     24099514

& the following                                              password:      goodness

to set up your turnitin.com account