24.231: Ethics, Spring 2008

Instructor: Brad Skow (follow link for contact information).

Teaching Assistant: Adam Hosein, 32-D927, ahosein [at] mit.edu.

Lectures: TuTh 9:30-11, room 2-143.

Course Description: This seminar will focus on normative ethics, especially consequentialism. See the schedule below for a list of topics.

This is a CI-M course; it fulfills the CI component for course 24 majors.

Readings:The required textbook for this course is Pleasure and the Good Life by Fred Feldman. I have ordered copies at the MIT COOP. Other course materials, including other course readings, will be available on the stellar site.

Course Requirements: You must attend every class session. Carefully read each assignment before the class for which it is assigned, and be prepared to discuss it. Each student will give one in-class presentation (10-15 minutes long), write two short papers (5 pages each), and a longer final paper (10 pages). You will receive two grades on your second paper: one when you first submit it, and one after you revise it in light of feedback from the instructor and fellow students.

Evaluation: The assignments are weighted as follows.

• Attendence and class participation: 10%.
• In-class presentation: 15%.
• First paper, second paper, second paper revised: 15% each.
• Final paper: 30%.

Handouts:

• Topics for your third paper.
• Information on the second paper revision process (check for updates).
• Instructions for writing your second paper.
• Instructions for writing your first paper.
• Guidelines for giving oral presentations.
• Logic Handout.
• Jim Pryor's Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper.

Reading Schedule

2/5 Introductory Meeting.

Consequentialism and The Good.

2/7 Consequentialism Introduced.

Feldman, Introductory Ethics, Ch. 2: What is Act Utilitarianism?

2/12 Welfare Hedonism.

Feldman, Pleasure and the Good Life, Ch. 1-2.

2/14 Objections to Hedonism.

Feldman, PGL, Ch. 3.
Nozick, "The Experience Machine."

2/21 Attitudinal Hedonism.

Presenter: Radu Gogoana.

Feldman, PGL, Ch. 4.

2/26 Preferentism, I.

Heathwood, The Problem of Defective Desires.

2/28 Preferentism, II.

Presenter: Vinayak Ranade

Heathwood, The Problem of Defective Desires.

3/4 Atomist Theories of Welfare and The Shape of a life, I.

Presenter: Li Yu.

Velleman, "Well-Being and Time."

3/6 Atomist Theories of Welfare and The Shape of a life, II. First paper due.

Feldman, PGL, Ch. 6.

3/11 Comparing Harms.

Presenter: Michael Forbes.

Norcross, "Comparing Harms: Headaches and Human Lives."

3/13 Infinite Utilities.

Presenter: Kurt Tummel.

Vallentyne and Kagan, "Infinite Value and Finitely Additive Value Theory."

3/18 The Repugnant Conclusion, I.

Presenter: Celeste Wallace.

Parfit, "The Repugnant Conclusion."

3/20 The Repugnant Conclusion, II.

Feldman, "Justice, Desert, and the Repugnant Conclusion."

3/25 Spring Break.

3/27 Spring Break.

4/1 Indeterminate Desert.

Presenter: Katelyn Milkowski.

Kagan, "Indeterminate Desert."

Consequentialism and The Right.

4/3 Argument for and against Act Utilitarianism.

Feldman, IE, Ch. 3.

4/8 Problems for Act Utilitarianism.

Presenter: Vernon Baker.

Feldman, IE, Ch. 4.

4/10 More Problems for Act Utilitarianism. Second Paper due.

Williams, "A Critique of Utilitarianism."

4/15 Imperceptible Harms. Comments on second paper due.

Presenter: Terrence Green.

Parfit, "Five Mistakes in Moral Mathematics."

4/17 The Principle of Moral Harmony.

Presenter: HooYoung Chung.

Feldman, "The Principle of Moral Harmony."

4/22 No Class; Patriot's Day.

Non-Consequentialism.

4/24 Kant's Theory, I. Revision of second paper due.

Kant, "Morality and Rationality."
Feldman, IE, Ch. 7.

4/29 Kant's Theory, II.

Presenter: Dan Guillen.

Feldman, IE, Ch. 8.

5/1 The Doctrine of Doing and Allowing, I.

Presenter: Ricardo Robles.

Quinn, "The Doctrine of Doing and Allowing."

5/6 The Doctrine of Doing and Allowing, II.

Presenter: Ted Kang.

Kagan, The Limits of Morality, Ch. 3.

5/8 The Doctrine of Double Effect, I.

Presenter: Na Pappoe.

Quinn, "The Doctrine of Double Effect."

5/13 The Doctrine of Double Effect, II.

Presenter: Claire Ahn.

Kagan, The Limits of Morality, Ch. 4.

5/15 The Last Day of Class. Final paper due.