Florence Summer Ethics Course Study Questions

Return to Ethics Florence Summer 2014

Class Dates

Monday May 19, 2014

• First Day, no study questions.

Tuesday May 20, 2014

Ariely

1. What were Ariely's findings on honesty?
2. What is the possible significance of his research for understanding the nature of ethics?
3. Identify the ethical issues facing Italy according to "Girlfriend in a Coma".

Wednesday May 21, 2014

Haidt, Intro and Chapter 1

1. Describe Haidt's research on disgust. What is its possible significance for understanding the nature of ethics.
2. What is Haidt's criticism of developmental psychology's past approach to understanding the nature of ethics?
3. Why does Haidt think that Turiel's and Schweder's research represent an improvement over the nature/nuture debate?

Thursday May 22, 2014

Haidt, "The Divided Self"

1. How do we use metaphors to think about the psyche, soul, and human identity?
2. What organic features of consciousness does Haidt think we need to consider when doing ethics? How might they be usefull?
3. What picture of the mind does Haidt leave us with?

Monday May 26, 2014

Haidt, Chapter 2

1. How does Haidt criticize philosophers on the topic of the relationship between reason and emotion?
2. How do evolutionary psychologists help us see the elephant talking? (And what does that even mean?)
3. What is the social intuitionist model of moral judgement? (Start comparing to other theories, like virtue ethics.)

Tuesday May 27, 2014

Haidt, Chapter 3

1. Do we have an inner lawyer?
2. Does it operate the way Haidt thinks?
3. How do you get the elephant to listen?

Wednesday May 28, 2014

1. What are some of the main ethical and political characteristics of the Englaro and Schiavo cases?
2. What are the primary ethical differences between passive and active, voluntary and non-voluntary cases of euthanasia?
3. How does the concept of human dignity work for both advocates and opponents of euthanasia?

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Haidt, Chapter 4

1. What evidence does Haidt provide for the claim that we are constantly concerned with our status and that we tend to conserve our views even at the expense of good reasoning?
2. Given Haidt's view that intuition comes first, what is the function of moral reasoning?
3. How does Haidt think this evidence ought to influence our view of politics?
4. Compare Haidt's view of social deliberation with Aristotle's view of deliberate choice.

Monday June 2, 2014

Holiday

Tuesday June 3, 2014

1. Which single plot lines can you identify in La bella addormentata and in what ways are they interrelated in the overarching narrative?
2. What visions of life and death are presented? Does the film seem to offer an unequivocal position on the issue of eutanasia?
3. What impression do you get of the political implications of the case? More generally, how are politicians represented (as groups and individuals), and why do you think the film emphasizes this?
4. In what ways does the film end? What impressions/thoughts/reactions does it want to leave us with?
5. Moving beyond the particular case in the film, what values and principles would you advocate to decide euthanasia cases?

Wednesday June 4, 2014

1. What is WEIRD morality and what use does Haidt make of it?

2. Should we all try to be WEIRD about our morality?

3. What does Haidt mean by saying "the righteous mind is like a tongue with six taste receptors"? What evolutionary account does he offer for this claim?

4. What is Haidt's critique of philosophical ethics?

Tuesday June 24, 2014

Holiday