Philosophy 0300, Introduction to Ethics, Spring 1998

Instructor: Douglas Patterson.

• Office: 1428D CL.
• Phone: 624-5795.
• E-mail: dop1+@pitt.edu.
• Campus mail: 1001 CL.
• Office Hours: MW 12-1.

Texts:

• Plato, Gorgias, Donald J. Zeyl trans. (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1987).
• Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Terence Irwin trans (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1985).
• Kant, Immanuel, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, James W. Ellington trans., 3rd edition (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1981).
• Mill, John Stuart, Utilitarianism, George Sher ed. (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1979).

Reading Assignments and Exams.

Readings to be completed by the date indicated; see below for writing assignments.

• January 5 Introduction
• January 7 Plato, Gorgias to 461b.
• January 12 Plato, Gorgias 461b-488b.
• January 14 Plato, Gorgias to end.
• January 21 Plato, Gorgias to end.
• January 26 Aristotle, Ethics, book one, ch. 1-2.
• January 28 Aristotle, Ethics, book one, ch. 3-5.
• February 2 Aristotle, Ethics, book one, ch. 7-8.
• February 4 Aristotle, Ethics, book one, ch. 9-13.
• February 9 Aristotle, Ethics, book two.
• February 11 Aristotle, Ethics, book three, ch. 1-5.
• February 16 Aristotle, Ethics, books two and three.
• February 18 Aristotle, Ethics, book seven, ch. 1-10.
• February 23 Aristotle, Ethics, book ten, ch. 6-9.
• February 25 Midterm Exam.
• March 9 Kant, Grounding, First Section, Ak. 393-399.
• March 11 Kant, Grounding, First Section, Ak. 400-405.
• March 16 Kant, Grounding, Preface, Ak. 387-392, and Second Section, Ak. 406-413.
• March 18 Kant, Grounding, Second Section, Ak. 414-420.
• March 23 Kant, Grounding, Second Section, Ak. 420-423.
• March 25 Kant, Grounding, Second Section Ak 424-431.
• March 30 Kant, Grounding, Second Section, Ak. 431-433, Third Section 446-448.
• April 1 Kant, Grounding, Second Section. Ak. 433-445.
• April 6 Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapters 1-2.
• April 8 Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapters 3-4.
• April 13 Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapters 1-4.
• April 15 Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapter 5.
• April 24 (Friday) Final Exam, 121 DLH (our usual room), 2-3:50pm.

Writing Assignments:

• Regular Sections: First Paper Due the week of February 23. Second Paper Due the week of April 13.
• Writing Sections. See your TA.

Web Site: http://www.pitt.edu/~jbest3/ethics98

Class handouts--the syllabus and study guides--will be available here.

Grading and Class Policies:

• Regular Sections. The assignments are weighted as follows: each paper 30%, midterm exam 10%, and final exam 30%. See your TA for additional instructions.
• Writing Sections. See your TA.