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Introduc)on to Ethics Philosophy A11 Professor Julia Nefsky 1
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Introduc)on to Ethics
Philosophy A11 Professor Julia Nefsky
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Today
1) Introduc)on and Course Overview 2) The Syllabus NOTE: I will be pos)ng the slides on Blackboard.
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Introduc)on to Ethics
Ethics = the philosophical study of morality.
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Example of a Moral Ques)on “My mother has been having memory issues for a number of years. Her neurologist has been telling her it is ‘mild demen)a.’ Her cogni)ve impairment and memory loss have worsened, and I recently met the neurologist without her. He told me that she has Alzheimer’s. He felt we should not yet tell my mother, as that diagnosis has been her greatest fear and it would be too devasta)ng […] I am uncomfortable keeping this terrible secret. Is it beWer to tell a loved one of the prognosis they fear, or is it more ethical to let them live in hopes that they have escaped it?” -‐ Name Withheld (New York Times, June 22, 2012)
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More Examples • Is it okay to spend my money on whatever I want? What if
money that I would like to spend on a new computer or new clothes could be used to aid to people living in poverty?
• Is Euthanasia morally permissible? • Is stealing always morally wrong, or is it some)mes
permissible to steal? • Is it ever permissible to torture someone? What if the only
way to save a hundred people from death is to torture one innocent person?
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Unit 1: Moral Theories
Two influen)al aWempts to give a systema)c answer to moral ques)ons:
1) U)litarianism
2) Kan)anism Moral theories: aWempt to explain, at the most general and fundamental level, what differen)ates right ac)ons from wrong ac)ons.
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According to U)litarianism:
-‐ Whether an act is right or wrong depends on its consequences. -‐ specifically, on how much pleasure and pain it produces.
According to Kan)anism:
-‐ Whether an act is right or wrong depends on the kind of act that it is.
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The Alzheimer's Case
The U)litarian:
-‐ Which course of ac)on would result in less pain and suffering?
-‐ Will the mother, and others involved, be happier overall if she doesn’t know the truth?
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The Alzheimer's Case
The Kan)an:
-‐ The ques)on isn’t what will make her and others happier.
-‐ Not telling the truth could be wrong because it does not treat her with the respect she deserves.
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Unit 1: Moral Theories
Two influen)al aWempts to give a systema)c answer to moral ques)ons:
1) U)litarianism
2) Kan)anism
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The moral theories from Unit 1 aWempt to tell us what is right and what is wrong, and why. But you might wonder: -‐ Are there any such truths? Are there objec)ve answers to moral ques)ons?
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Unit 2: Skep)cal Challenges to Morality
• Isn’t what is right and wrong rela)ve to one’s culture?
• Isn’t morality just a maWer of personal opinion?
• Given a scien)fic picture of the world, how could there be such a thing as right and wrong?
• Can there be morality without God?
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Unit 3: Moral Issues
Three contemporary moral issues:
1) Abor)on
2) Global Poverty
3) The Treatment of Animals (ea)ng meat, biomedical research)
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PHL A11 INFO Lectures: Tuesday, Thursday 11-‐12 in AC 223 Tutorials: one hour a week, beginning next week (the week of January 13) The Terrific TAs: Jessy Giroux, Dan Hooley, Josh Mildenberger, Parisa Moosavi, Etye Steinberg, Johanna Thoma
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Course Webpage -‐ hWps://portal.utoronto.ca
Winter-‐2014-‐PHLA11H3-‐S-‐LEC01: IntroducIon to Ethics
There you will find:
-‐ The syllabus – which has the reading schedule, due dates,…
-‐ Lecture slides
-‐ Important announcements
-‐ The assignments … and more 15
Books (1) The Philosophy A11 2014 Coursepack.
(2) Whatever Happened to Good and Evil, Russ Shafer-‐Landau.
Both books will be available at the UTSC Campus Bookstore. -‐ The Coursepack will be there by this Thursday or Friday.
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The Readings
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Important Announcement No Class this Thursday: I will be out of town at the Arizona Workshop in Norma)ve Ethics. On Tuesday January 14: -‐ Arguments and How to Evaluate Them For Thursday January 16: -‐ Read Mill, “In Defense of U)litarianism”
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Emails should go to:
[email protected] -‐ Emails should be sent from your U of T account.
-‐ Emails will be answered by Etye Steinberg or myself, or will be forwarded to your TA.
-‐ We will generally answer within 48 hours. 19
Emails
We will not answer emails if: 1) The relevant informa)on is available on the
course webpage or in the syllabus. 2) It is a substan)ve philosophical ques)on –
these should be asked in office hours and tutorials.
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My Office Hours
Thursday 12-‐2pm and by appointment In PO 102 (“Philosophy Hall”) Room #115.
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Be Considerate In Class
-‐ No ChaWng!
-‐ Turn your cell phone off.
-‐ Arrive on )me. If you must arrive late, enter as quietly as possible.
-‐ Do not leave un)l class is over. If you must leave early, be as quiet and undisrup)ve as possible.
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A Slide about Slides
-‐ Slides will usually be posted on Blackboard by 10am the day of the lecture.
-‐ The slides will contain only the bare bones of what I am going to discuss in lecture.
-‐ To do well in this course, it is crucial to aWend the lectures.
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Evalua)on Paper #1 (500-‐750 words) 15% …….. Due February 4 Midterm (45 minutes): 20% …………………….. March 6 Paper #2 (1000-‐1200 words): 25% ………. Due April 1
Tutorial AYendance and ParIcipaIon: 10%
Final Exam: 30% ………………………………………Date TBA
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Late Papers
Late papers will not be accepted, unless: (a) prior arrangements have been made with your TA for an extension, or
(b) there is a medical or family emergency (in which case documenta)on may be required).
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Extensions
Plan ahead: You may request extensions from your TA up unIl 48 hours before papers are due. Aver that, extensions will be granted only for illness or family emergencies.
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Academic Integrity Plagiarism and cheaIng will not be tolerated.
• Ignorance is not an excuse. • It is your responsibility to know what cons)tutes plagiarism, and how to properly cite the sources that you use.
For helpful info see: hWp://www.utoronto.ca/academicintegrity/resourcesforstudents.html
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Excellent Resources on Campus
The Academic Advising and Career Centre: Academic Resource Centre, Room 213 hWp://joomla.utsc.utoronto.ca/aaccweb/ The WriIng Centre: Academic Resource Centre, Room 210 hWps://ctl.utsc.utoronto.ca/twc/
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Copyright
-‐ If a student wishes to record or otherwise reproduce lecture presenta)ons, he or she must obtain the instructor’s wriYen consent beforehand.
-‐ Otherwise all such reproduc)on is an infringement of copyright.
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AccessAbility
• If you have a disability or health considera)on that may require accommoda)ons, please feel free to approach me and/or the AccessAbility Services Office as soon as possible.
Loca)on: S302 Phone: (416)287-‐7560 Email: [email protected]
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Next Class No Class this Thursday: I will be out of town at the Arizona Workshop in Norma)ve Ethics. On Tuesday January 14: -‐ Arguments and How to Evaluate Them
For Thursday January 16: -‐ Read Mill, “In Defense of U)litarianism”
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