Robert Myers
rmyers@yorku.ca

What can it mean to say that morality requires something of someone?  Are there really truths of this sort, or do moral claims merely give expression to people’s wants and interests?  If there are truths about what morality requires of people, are such truths somehow relative to time and place or are they universal?  What reason, if any, do people have to comply with them?

This course explores the answers to such questions given by four towering figures in the history of Western philosophy: Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill.  We will study their writings alongside a sampling of recent work by philosophers who have been influenced by them.  We will also consider some recent dissenters.

Technical requirements for taking the course:

Classes and tutorials will be online, delivered synchronously over Zoom.  In addition to a stable, higher-speed Internet connection, students will need a computer with a webcam and a microphone, and/or a smart device with these features.  Classes will be recorded; tutorials will not be.

Here are some useful links for 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.

Times and locations:

Classes and tutorials will be delivered over Zoom at the scheduled meeting times. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus.

Virtual office hours:

Office hours will be by appointment only.  Students should email the instructor at rmyers@yorku.ca to make an appointment; a Zoom meeting or phone conversation will then be scheduled.

1. Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, translated by James W. Ellington. Hackett Publishing Company, 1993.
2. John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, edited by George Sher. Hackett Publishing Company, 2002.

Other readings will be available electronically on the course eClass site

1. First writing assignment: 20%
2. Second writing assignment: 30%
3. Third writing assignment: 30%
4. Tutorial participation: 20%

There will be 4 components to class assessment: three writing assignments and tutorial participation.

Detailed handouts, to help structure our meetings, will be posted on the course eClass site.  Note, however, that these handouts will not be replacing the classes, and that attending classes is essential to doing well in the course.

1. Students will learn to read and analyze philosophical texts and to articulate and defend philosophical positions of their own.
2. Students will develop familiarity with the moral philosophies of Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill and some of their most important current followers.
3. Students will learn to think critically both about the demands that morality makes of us and about our reasons to comply with them.

Course policies

The three writing assignments must be submitted BOTH to Turnitin AND to the instructor via email.  Late submissions will be subject to a penalty of 2.5% per calendar day or fraction thereof, unless prior approval has been granted by the instructor.