Professor Devlin Russell

devlin@yorku.ca

Office Location:  S424 Ross Building

Phone Number:  (416) 736-2100 Ext. 77584

Office Hours:  TBA

Is ethics really like the clothes we wear? Is it just about our personal style and tastes? Often, like fashion, we adopt our ethical beliefs from the people we admire, the trends of our social group, and the examples we had growing up. But should we? Are we not sheep or possibly dupes for adopting our ethical stances this way? This course will examine what ethical principles we should adopt and why. We will use philosophical theory to think precisely about what ethics says and what it is based on.

Cahn, S. M. and Forcehimes, A. T. Foundations of Moral Philosophy: Readings in Metaethics

Weekly Writing Assignments        20%

Argument Reconstruction (600 words)    18%

Critical Essay (1200 words)            23%

Defensive Essay (1800 words)        29%

Participation Ongoing        10%

Lecture

Students will be challenged to seriously consider which answers to these questions are the most rationally persuasive.  This will involve learning and employing the fundamental tools of philosophy—namely, thoughtful and attentive reading, critical analysis and thinking, and precise and clear writing.  Students will be expected to have a good grasp of the positions and arguments for them, and be able to employ the above tools in demonstrating that grasp.