Spring 2017 Ethics Reading Schedule

Return to Ethics

JAN 18

• Introduction to Course

JAN 23

• Ariely, "Why We Lie" (6)
• Singer, Chapter 1, Practical Ethics, "About Ethics" (16)

• Focus: In Ariely, make sure you can summarize the main research study and consider implications of this research for ethics. With Singer, track the distinction between ethics and religion, arguments about relativism, and what makes something an ethical claim.

JAN 25

• Cooper, Chapter 1, "Philosophical Ethics," (1-20)
• Haidt, "The Divided Self" (1-21)

• Focus: Cooper give us some vocabulary for distinguish different dimensions of ethical thought, but the main action is the summary of the Zimbardo experiment. Haidt's "Divided Self" introduces you to your brain. Track the four types of divisions he describes.

JAN 30

• Haidt, The Righteous Mind, Intro and Chapter 1

• Focus: Track the story Haidt is telling about developmental and moral psychology and it's encounter with anthropology.

FEB 1

• Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Book 1 (1-13) (you can skip Section 6)
• Cooper, Chapter 5; (75-84) For background on Kohlberg's theory. Not for quiz.

• Focus: We'll fill in Aristotle's theory after you get the main ideas from the first book of the famous work.

FEB 6

Heavy Reading Week!!

• Sandel, Chapter 2: Utilitarianism, (31-57)
• Sandel, Chapter 3: Libertarianism, (58-74)

FEB 8

• Haidt, Chapter 2
• Sandel, Chapter 5: Kant, (103-124)

FEB 13

• Singer, Practical Ethics. "Rich and Poor" (191-216)
• Sachs, "Can the Rich Help the Poor"

FEB 15

• Post new research to wiki page on Aid to the Absolutely Poor
• 1st Position Paper topic discussion: Obligations to those in Absolute Poverty. Draft process begins.

FEB 20

• President's Holiday - No class!

FEB 22

• Haidt, Chapter 3
• Haidt, "Out-Take" on Virtue Ethics (4 pages);
• de Waal, Intro and 5-21;

FEB 27

• Haidt, Chapter 4
• de Waal, 21-42;
• First Position Paper through peer review process

MAR 1

• de Waal, 42-58;

MAR 6

• Korsgaard, "Morality and the Distinctiveness of Human Action" (98-119)

MAR 8

• Singer, "Morality, Reason, and the Rights of Animals" (in de Waal) (140-151)

MAR 20

• Haidt, Chapter 5

MAR 22

• Singer, One World Now, Chapter 1, "A Changing World," and part of Chapter 2, "One Atmosphere" (1-32)

MAR 27

• Haidt, Chapter 6

MAR 29

• Singer, One World Now, Chapter 2, "One Atmosphere" (32-68)

APR 3

• Haidt, Chapter 7

APR 5

• Singer, One World Now, Chapter 3, "One Economy" (69-122)

APR 10

• Haidt, Chapter 8

APR 12

• Singer, One World Now, Chapter 4 "One Law," (122-175)

APR 19

• Singer, One World Now, Chapter 5, "One Community" and Chapter 6, "A Better World?" (174-227)

APR 24

• Position Paper 2 discussion: Topics from One World Now
• Haidt, Chapter 9

APR 26

• Haidt, Chapter 10

MAY 1

• Position Paper 2 due.
• Haidt, Chapter 11

MAY 3

• Haidt, Chapter 12