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ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE, WE SHOULD BEGIN
ETHICAL INQUIRY BY SPECIFYING:
A. which things are
intrinsically valuable.
B. the aim of human life.
C. what our fundamental
duties are.
D. what constraints on
behavior it would be
reasonable to agree to.
E. all of the above.
F. none of the above.
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ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE, OUR ULTIMATE END
(OR AIM) IS . . .
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pleasure.
moral virtue.
eudaimonia.
continence.
none of the above.
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B.
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ARISTOTLE CLAIMS THAT MORAL VIRTUE . . .
A. is innate.
B. must be acquired
through habituation.
C. is alone guaranteed
to make us happy.
D. participates in a
Platonic Form.
E. both b. and c.
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DATES
REQUIRED READINGS
RECOMMENDED READINGS
Week One: June 24-28
Why be moral? Moral Theory Primer

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Syllabus
Plato, 65-78
Timmons (electronic)
Hobbes, 236-247
Hardin (electronic)
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Week Three: July 8-12
Utilitarianism
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Week Four: July 15-19
Utilitarianism
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Shafer-Landau, 1-17
Shafer-Landau, 289-305
Concepción (electronic)
Vaughn, “How to Read an
Argument” (electronic)
Shafer-Landau, 201-213
Nozick (electronic)
Bentham, 353-361
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Shafer-Landau, 117-132
Shafer-Landau, 21-58
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Singer, 873-880
Mill, 362-383
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Shafer-Landau, 117-132
Shafer-Landau, 133-153
Week Five: July 22-26
Kantian Ethics
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Kant, 313-352
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O’Neil (electronic)
Velleman (electronic)
Shafer-Landau, 168-186
Week Six: July 29 - August 2
Assessing Utilitarianism & Kantian Ethics
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Anscombe, 527-539
Williams, 657-673
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Wolf, 790-802
Stocker (electronic)
Baker (electronic)
Week Seven: August 5-8
Virtue Ethics
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Aristotle, 124-140; 146-147
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Shafer-Landau, 252-271
Aristotle, 152-157
Week Eight: August 12-16
Virtue Ethics & Assessing Ethical Theory
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Nussbaum, 755-774
Wolf, 790-802
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Shafer-Landau, 252-271
Note: Final Paper due August 12
Week Nine: August 19-23
Contemporary Moral Issues: Abortion
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Thomson, 817-827
Hursthouse, 849-862
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Review for the final
Note: Final Exam August 23
Week Two: July 1-5
Social Contract Theory and Collective
Action Problems
PAPER CONFERENCE 8/6/2013
You should continue to work on your final papers.
•
Prepare a short (3-5 minute) presentation: a short synopsis of the main
elements from your outline (introduction/thesis, exegesis, your
argument, objection, response, and conclusion).
•
Consider where feedback would be the most useful.
•
Start thinking about submitting your papers for presentation at
conferences and for publication.
ANSCOMBE ON MODERN MORAL PHILOSOPHY
1. If MMP fails, then a virtueoriented approach is the way
moral philosophy ought to be
developed.
2. MMP fails.
 Psychology
 Ought & Duty
 Consequentialism
3. Therefore, a virtue-oriented
approach is the way moral
philosophy ought to be
developed.
WILLIAMS ON INTEGRITY
Utilitarianism
Kantian Ethics
Main Point
Williams objects that the impartiality of such ethical theories is too separate from
particular others, and moral agency.
VIRTUE ETHICS, A BRIEF HISTORY
A DIFFERENT STARTING POINT FOR ETHICS

Most moral theories: What is the right thing to do?

Virtue ethics: What kind of person should I be? How should I live my life?

Virtue ethics is a family of theories that traces its roots (in the West) back to the ancient
Greek philosopher Aristotle.

The aim of these theories is to discover the conditions and character traits that
contribute to human flourishing.
THE PRIMACY OF CHARACTER
The term ‘Aristotelian virtue
ethics’ describes a class of
theories; the aim of these
theories is to discover the
conditions and character traits
that contribute to eudaimonia.
Eudaimonia (see EN.I.7), often
translated as ‘happiness’ or
‘human flourishing’
THE PRIMACY OF CHARACTER
Right Action Bi-Conditional
An act is morally right if and
only if (and because) it is
the one that a virtuous
person, acting in character,
would do in that situation.
The term ‘Aristotelian virtue
ethics’ describes a class of
theories; the aim of these
theories is to discover the
conditions and character traits
that contribute to eudaimonia.
Eudaimonia (see EN.I.7), often
translated as ‘happiness’ or
‘human flourishing’
THE RAWLSIAN STRUCTURE FOR ETHICAL
THEORIES
A. Strongly Agree
B.Agree
C.Somewhat Agree
D.Neutral
E. Somewhat Disagree
F. Disagree
G.Strongly Disagree
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MORAL COMPLEXITY


Moral rules corresponding to virtues.
There are many moral rules of thumb, which
vary in different contexts.
MORAL COMPLEXITY AND PRACTICAL GUIDANCE
Tragic dilemmas:

Are there situations in which there is no
morally praiseworthy action?
Virtue and moral guidance:

Does virtue give us sufficient advice about
how to live?
CIRCULARITY WORRY



Are actions morally right because
virtuous people perform them?
Or do virtuous people perform actions
because those actions are right?
A similar problem faced by Divine
Command Theory.
Right Action Bi-Conditional
An act is morally right if and only if (and
because) it is the one that a virtuous
person, acting in character, would do
in that situation.
AN ARGUMENT FOR VIRTUE ETHICS?
Stocker states, “to the
extent that you live the
theory directly, to that
extent you will fail to
achieve its goods” (73);
e.g., interpersonal relationships.

Indirection: a theory is “indirect” if it
encourages you to act without direct
regard to the theory itself.
1. It is better for an ethical
theory to be direct.
2. Modern ethical theories are
indirect.
3. Virtue ethical theories are
direct.
4. Therefore, virtue ethical
theories are better than
modern ethical theories.
IT IS BETTER FOR AN ETHICAL THEORY TO BE
DIRECT
A. Strongly Agree
B.Agree
C.Somewhat Agree
D.Neutral
E. Somewhat Disagree
F. Disagree
G.Strongly Disagree
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TRILEMMA: AN ETHICAL THEORY IS EITHER:
(1) INDIRECT, (2) AN UNSATISFACTORY
RESPONSE TO THE IMMORALIST’S
CHALLENGE, OR (3) EGOIST?
A.True
B.False
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