PHIL 202: Contemporary Moral Problems
Timetable
Intro: General Introduction
Essential philosophical skills.
Intro: Ethics
Ethics: Theory and practice.
Intro: Arguments
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Play around in the Logic and Critical Thinking section of the Resources page.
Abortion 1
The state of the abortion debate. Dobbs v. Jackson (2022). (SCOTUS) – No need to read the whole thing, just the syllabus is ok.
Abortion 2
The famous Famous Violinist. Judith Jarvis Thomson (1971). ‘A Defense of Abortion.’ Philosophy & Public Affairs 1(1): 47-66. (UD Library.)
Abortion 3
Don Marquis(1989). ‘Why Abortion is Immoral.’ The Journal of Philosophy 8(4): 183-202. (UD Library.)
Bad Argument Assignment
In-class group project. (Groups randomly assigned.) Details on ‘Assessment’ page.
Quiz 1 Preview
Think about the quiz and come with questions.
Quiz 1
Details on ‘Assessment’ page.
Selection for Disability
Mark Greene & Steve Augello, ‘Everworse: What’s Wrong with Selecting for Disability?’ (On Canvas@UD.)
Review of Quiz 1
Any questions about that first quiz?
Affirmative Action 1
The Problem We All Live With. Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.
Affirmative Action 2
Affirmative Action – For & Against. Tom Beauchamp (1998). ‘In Defense of Affirmative Action.’ The Journal of Ethics 2:2, pp.143-158. The Economist. ‘Why Affirmative Action in Americal Had to Go.’ June 30th, 2023. (Accessible version on Canvas@UD.)
Quiz 2
Details on ‘Assessment’ page.
Heritability & Race
Moore & Shenk (2017). ‘The Heritability Fallacy.’ Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science , 8 (1-2).
Explanation of Why ‘High Heritability’ Does Not Imply ‘Inherited’
In-class group project. (Groups randomly assigned.) Word limit: 300 words – strictly enforced. Details on ‘Assessment’ page.
Environmental Ethics
The moral radar and the ‘last person’ question.
Respect for Nature
Taylor on respect for nature. Paul W Taylor (1981). ‘The Ethics of Respect for Nature.’ Environmental Ethics 3(3): 197-218. (See Canvas@UD.)
Morris Library Lecture Room or Online Optional Extra Credit Event To claim credit, attend the talk and post a comment on the corresponding Canvas discussion.
Optional Extra Credit Event To claim credit, attend the talk and post a comment on the corresponding Canvas discussion.
Quiz 3
Details on ‘Assessment’ page.
Duties of Species Preservation?
Greene (and Darwin) on species. Mark Greene (2011). ‘On the Origin of Species Notions and Their Ethical Limitations.’ in: The Oxford Handbook of Animal Ethics, edited by T. L. Beauchamp and R. G. Frey. (See Canvas@UD.)
Artificial Sentience
Blaise Agüera y Arcas (2022). ‘Artificial Neural Networks are Making Strides Towards Consciousness.’ The Economist, June 10. (On Canvas) Douglas Hofstadter (2022). ‘Artificial Neural Networks Today are not Conscious.’ The Economist, June 10. (On Canvas)
Just War Theory
Alexander Moseley. ‘Just War Theory.’ Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (On the web.)
Terrorism
Igor Primoratz. ‘Terrorism.’ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (On the web.)
Optional Extra Credit Event To claim credit, attend the talk and post a comment on the corresponding Canvas discussion.
Quiz 4
Details on ‘Assessment’ page.
Torture
Torture, Morality, & Law. Jeff McMahan (2006). ‘Torture, Morality, and Law.’ Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law. 37(2/3): 241-248.
Write an Abstract of Jeff McMahan’s ‘Torture, Morality, and Law.’ (Apr 15 reading)
In-class group project. (Groups randomly assigned.) Word limit: 150 words – strictly enforced. Details on ‘Assessment’ page.
Libertarianism & Global Justice
Nozick’s Entitlement Theory. Nozick, Robert (1974). ‘The Entitlement Theory of Justice.’ Chapter 7 in Anarchy, State, and Utopia .’ Read pages 149 – 164. (On Canvas@UD.) What topics would you like to cover when we get back from Thanksgiving?
Utilitarianism & Global Justice
Famine, Affluence, and Morality. Singer, Peter . ‘Famine, Affluence, and Morality.’ (UD Library.) Singer, Peter . ‘How to Give Away a Million Dollars.’ (On the web.)
Quiz 5
Details on ‘Assessment’ page.
Student Choice: Euthanasia
Euthanasia: Active & passive – voluntary, involuntary, & non-voluntary
No required reading, but post a thought on the Canvas discussion for participation credit. For reference: Here’s the AMA’s current opinion on the matter. (On the web.)
Student Choice: Capital Punishment
No required reading, but post a thought on the Canvas discussion for participation credit.
Jury Duty and Perverse Verdicts
Bushell’s Case. (Wikipedia.) Jury Nullification. (On the web.)
Optional Review
Drop in if you want to chat about Q6.
Quiz 6
Details on ‘Assessment’ page.
Contemporary Moral Problems