Table of Content
PART I: The Story as a Tool of Ethics Chapter 1: Thinking About Values The Best of Times, the Worst of Times? Good and Evil Is Morality Hardwired? Values, Morals and Ethics Debating Moral Issues: The Role of Religion, the Law, Logic, Emotions, and Story-Telling Martha Nussbaum: Stories, Ethics, and Emotions Primary Reading: Martha Nussbaum,Love's Knowledge Narrative:Smoke Signals Narrative:Big Fish Narrative:East of Eden Chapter 2: Learning Moral Lessons from Stories Didactic Stories The New Interest in Stories The Value of Stories in World Cultures Stories of Values Across the Ages Stories to Live and Die By Primary Reading: Plato,The Republic Primary Reading: Aristotle,Poetics Primary Reading: Umberto Eco,The Name of the Rose Narrative:Medea Narrative:The Sorrows of Young Werther Narrative:Pulp Fiction PART II: What Should I Do? Theories of Conduct Chapter 3: Ethical Relativism How to Deal with Moral Differences The Lessons of Anthropology Refuting Ethical Relativism James Rachels and Soft Universalism Ethical Relativism and Multiculturalism Primary Reading: Ruth Benedict, "Anthropology and the Abnormal" Primary Reading: Bhikhu Parekh, "The Concept of Multicultural Education" Narrative:The Poisonwood Bible Narrative:Possessing the Secret of Joy Narrative:Sideshow Narrative:Do the Right Thing Chapter 4: Myself or Others? Psychological Egoism: From Virginia Tech to 9/11 From Glaucon to Hobbes Psychological Egoism and Free Will Shortcomings to Psychological Egoism Ethical Egoism and its Critics Being Selfless: Levinas's Ideal Altruism vs. Singer's Reciprocal Altruism Selfish Genes, or Fellow-Feeling? Dawkins, Midgley, Hume and de Waal Primary Reading: Plato,The Republic Primary Reading: Erik Katz, "The Rings of Tolkien and Plato" Primary Reading: Thomas Hobbes,Leviathan Primary Reading: Ayn Rand, "The Ethics of Emergencies" Primary Reading: Frans de Waal,Primates and Philosophers Narrative:Friendsepisode: "The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS" Narrative:Return to Paradise Narrative:The Winter of Our Discontent Narrative:Atlas Shrugged Narrative: "The Gift of the Magi" Narrative:The Lord of the Rings Chapter 5: Using Your Reason, Part 1: Utilitarianism Jeremy Bentham and the Hedonistic Calculus Advantages and Problems of Sheer Numbers: from Animal Welfare to the Question of Torture Torture John Stuart Mill: Higher and Lower Pleasures Mill's Harm Principle Act and Rule Utilitarianism Primary Reading: Jeremy Bentham,Of the Principle of Utility Primary Reading: John Stuart Mill,Utilitarianism Primary Reading: Peter Singer, "A Convenient Truth" Narrative: "The Blacksmith and the Baker" Narrative:The Brothers Karamazov Narrative: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" Narrative:Saving Private Ryan Narrative:Extreme Measures Narrative:Runaway Jury Chapter 6: Using Your Reason, Part 2: Kant's Deontology Consequences Don't Count - Having a Good Will Does The Categorical Imperative Rational Beings Are Ends in Themselves Beings Who Are Things The Kingdom of Ends Primary Reading: Immanuel Kant,Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals Primary Reading: Immanuel Kant,The Metaphysics of Morals Narrative:High Noon Narrative:Outland Narrative:Cop Land Narrative:Abandon Ship! Chapter 7: Personhood, Rights, and Justice What Is a Human Being? The Expansion of the Concept "Human" Persons and Rights Science and Moral Responsibility: Genetic Engineering, Stem Cell Research and Cloning Questions of Rights and Equality Negative Rights: Locke,