Bradley Rettler
Philosophical Ethics (Fall 2017)
INSTRUCTOR: Dr Bradley Rettler
CONTACT: rettlerb@gmail.com
OFFICE HOURS: Monday 1-2, Tuesday 2-4, and by appointment
OFFICE: Collins B25
MAILBOX: Collins 101
Course Website: http://ethics.bradleyrettler.com
Resources
Schedule and Readings (readings are to be done by the day they are listed)
Introduction
Aug 31: Introduction, Euthyphro, especially pp 6ff
Sept 4: NO CLASS (Labor Day)
Meta-ethics
Sept 7: Divine Command Theory, "Good Minus God" by Louise Antony
Sept 11: Relativism, "Why our Children Don't Think There are Moral Facts" by Justin McBrayer
Sept 14: Meta-ethics, concluded
Utilitarianism
Sept 18: Utilitarianism, Book 1 (Sample Critical Paper)
Sept 21: Utilitarianism, Book 2
Sept 25: Utilitarianism, Book 3
Sept 28: Utilitarianism, Book 4
Oct 2: Utilitarianism, Book 5
Oct 5: Bernard Williams, "A Critique of Utilitarianism", especially sections 2-5, most especially section 3
Oct 9: NO CLASS (Columbus Day)
Oct 12: Utilitarianism, Concluded
Deontology
Oct 16: Groundwork, Preface and Book 1
Oct 19: Groundwork, Book 1 Continued
Oct 23: Groundwork, Book 2
Oct 26: Groundwork, Book 2 Continued
Virtue Ethics
Oct 30: Nicomachean Ethics, Book I
Nov 2: Nicomachean Ethics, Book II
Nov 6: Nicomachean Ethics, Book III
Nov 9: Nicomachean Ethics, Book V
Nov 13: Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII
Nov 16: Nicomachean Ethics, Book X
Nov 20: Nicomachean Ethics, Concluded
Nov 23: NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)
Final Paper Guidelines
Applied Ethics
Nov 27: Thomson, "Killing, Letting Die, and the Trolley Problem"
Nov 30: Thomson, "A Defense of Abortion"
Dec 4: Marquis, "Why Abortion is Immoral"
Dec 7: Singer, "Famine, Affluence, and Morality"
FINAL EXAM