THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO

LONDON CANADA

DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY 2001-2002 COURSE OUTLINE

Philosophy 362E (001): Ethics

Instructor: Professor T. Isaacs, TC 321, 661-2111, ext. 85747

E-mail: tisaacs@uwo.ca

Classes: Mondays 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., TC340

Office hours: Mondays 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesdays 11 a.m. to noon,

and by appointment.

Please read and follow the list of Department of Philosophy procedures on this outline. Students are responsible for being aware of and following these procedures.

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COURSE DESCRIPTION

The goal of the course is to sharpen students’ analytical skills and skills of moral reasoning, using issues in contemporary normative ethics and meta-ethics. In the first term, we shall begin with the relationship between ethics and religion. Next, we shall think about the difference between consequentialism and deontology, using a number of more specific issues to focus our discussion. These issues will include the moral difference (if there is one) between killing and letting die, whether the number of people affected is ever a morally decisive factor in moral decision making, and whether we can justify affluent lifestyles in the face of widespread poverty. In the second term, we move on to meta-ethics. The main focus here will be moral relativism, a theory some find attractive and others find repugnant. One of the main questions will be: what does the fact of widespread moral disagreement entail, if anything, about the status of our moral claims? Do moral judgements have truth values? If so, is their truth independent of their being believed, or are they true in virtue of being believed. Our exploration of relativism will take us into discussions of objectivism, realism, and skepticism, and will help us to think about the further question: is moral knowledge possible?

Requirements:

First term: (1) Independent reading assignment and 3-4 page report worth 10%, due Oct.1; (2) Take-home test, approx. 5 pages, worth 10%, distributed Oct. 24, due Oct. 29; (3) 8 page essay worth 20%, due Nov. 28;

Second term: (4) Independent reading assignment and 3-4 page report worth 10%, due Jan. 30; (5) 15 minute oral presentation and 3-4 page paper worth 10%, dates to be chosen later; (6) 8 page essay worth 20%, due April 3; (7) Final examination, to be held during the examination period, April 14-30. The precise date will be announced as soon as it is available. Please note that you must complete all written and oral assignments, exams, and tests to pass this course. Regular attendance throughout the year is expected.

The penalty for late papers is 3 marks per day including each day of the weekend, for up to one week. After one week a grade of zero will automatically be assigned. Penalties may be waived with notification from your Dean’s office explaining that you have provided adequate documentation of a medical reason.

Required Readings:

A coursepack, available from Inprint (lower level, UCC).

Moral Relativism: A Reader, editors Paul K. Moser and Thomas L. Carson (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001). The text is available from the UWO Bookstore.