PHIL 100
Spring 2009 Schwartz
Last updated Nov 20, 2009
For class #42, Mon Nov 23
Finish reading and understanding Utilitarianism in Palmer chapter 7 (Moral
Philosophy) – the part about how John Stuart Mill provided constructive
criticism of Bentham’s original system:
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why quality must also be considered along with quantity
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Mill’s
concern about the danger of losing high-quality kinds of happiness
-
dividing utilitarianism into Act Utilitarianism and Rule
Utilitarianism
Agenda for this class: I will introduce The Kantian Moral System section in chapter 7
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Previous
Assignments:
For class #41, Fri Nov 20
Start reading about Utilitarianism in
Palmer chapter 7 (Moral Philosophy). Understand these topics:
a) why this practical, democratic ethical system suited the people
of The Enlightenment era.
b) Bentham’s greatest happiness principle
c) Bentham’s proposal that happiness be
reduced to amounts of pain and pleasure
d) Bentham’s proposal that ethical judgment be reduced to selecting
best alternatives by means of his hedonistic calculus.
e) Bentham’s emphasis of consequences
over intentions
f) how Bentham was able to apply utilitarianism to so many aspects of society
Agenda for this class: I will continue to introduce the “Utilitarianism” section in chapter 7
For class #40, Wed Nov 18
Continue reading chapter 7 –
Moral Philosophy. Understand these
topics:
a) ancient Greek attitudes towards ethics/morality
b) ethical relativism/ethical subjectivism/ethical absolutism
c) egoism -- psychological egoism (descriptive) and ethical egoism
(normative)
d) moral vs. immoral vs. amoral
Agenda for this class: I will introduce the “Utilitarianism” section in chapter 7 Moral Philosophy
For class #39, Mon Nov 16
Start reading chapter 7 – Moral
Philosophy. Understand these
topics:
a) ancient Greek attitudes towards ethics/morality
b) ethical relativism/ethical subjectivism/ethical absolutism
c) egoism -- psychological egoism (descriptive) and ethical egoism (normative)
Agenda for this class: I will continue introducing chapter 7 Moral Philosophy
For class #38, Fri Nov 13
No class – Veterans
Day observance
For class #37, Wed Nov 11
No class – CSM Flex
Day
For class #36, Mon Nov 9
Take Quiz #3 before it
becomes unavailable Thursday at 10:00 pm. (You will be
allowed to take Quiz #3 twice!!
You do not have to take it a second time.)
Agenda for this
class: I will introduce Ethics, chapter 7 in Palmer.
For class #35, Fri Nov 6
Take Quiz #3 before it
becomes unavailable Thursday at 10:00 pm. (You will be
allowed to take Quiz #3 twice!!
You do not have to take it a second time.)
Agenda for this
class: I will lead a discussion.
(This is a good way to pick up participation points, and to get ideas
for the final exam essay topics.)
For class #34, Wed Nov 4
Take Quiz #3 before it
becomes unavailable Thursday evening.
Agenda for this
class: I will review chapters 4, 5 & 6 for Quiz #3.
For class #33, Mon Nov 2
Quiz #3 starts today, but
wait until after this lecture.
Read Palmer
chapter 4 (Ontology), up to but not including “Mind-Brain Identity Theory.”
Agenda for this
class: I’ll finish introducing DCH chapter 4 – Ontology. Part of Ontology will be on Quiz #3, so
this is an important lecture. If
time permits, I will review chapters 5 & 6 for Quiz #3.
For class #32, Fri Oct 30
Quiz #3 next week on part of
chapter 5 Religion (up to page 177 Atheism), part of chapter 6 Freedom &
Necessity (up to Existential Freedom) and part of Chapter 4 Ontology, where
mind-body dualism is described.
Agenda for this
class: I’ll introduce DCH chapter 4 – Ontology. Part of Ontology will be on Quiz #3, so this is an important
lecture.
For class #31, Wed Oct 28
Quiz #3 is postponed 1 week.
Finish reading DCH
chapter 6, except pages 237-245.
Key points to understand include the meaning of freedom and of
necessity, hard and soft determinism, the attack on free will, indeterminism,
compatibilism, libertarianism, and the roles of B.F. Skinner, Sigmund Freud and
Heisenberg.
Review the three
proofs for the existence of God in chapter 5 for Quiz #3 next week.
Agenda for this
class: I’ll introduce DCH chapter 6 – Freedom & Necessity.
For class #30, Mon Oct 26
Quiz #3 is postponed 1 week.
Start reading DCH
chapter 6 – Freedom. It’s a big chapter so start as soon as possible.
Agenda for this
class: I’ll introduce DCH chapter 6 – Freedom & Necessity.
For class #29, Fri Oct 23
Read and understand the Cosmological and Teleological arguments in
Palmer chapter 5.
Agenda for this class: I will introduce Palmer chapter 4 - Ontology.
For class #28, Wed Oct 21
Finish reading about the ontological argument in Palmer chapter
5. Make sure you understand St.
Thomas Aquinas’s and Descartes’ suggestions, and the
counterarguments by Hume and Kant.
Agenda for this class: I will introduce the Cosmological and Teleological arguments as in the Philosophy of Religion, Palmer chapter 5.
For class #27, Mon Oct 19
Read about the ontological argument in Palmer chapter 5. It is one of 3 proofs for the existence
of God that we will cover for Quiz #3.
Agenda for this class: I will continue introducing the Philosophy of Religion, Palmer chapter 5.
For class #26, Fri Oct 16
No homework. But I
recommend that you preview the 3 proofs for the existence of God (the
ontological argument, the cosmological argument, and the teleological argument)
in Palmer chapter 5.
Agenda for this class: I will provide an overview for the second half of the course.