All the readings for this class are freely available to students. In most cases, you can click on the link and then save the associated pdf to your device.
Unfortunately, the main text for this class (Suikannen) cannot be saved as a PDF because it is protected by DRM.
Three options for reading This is Ethics by Jussi Suikannen:
- Read online via your City Tech Library account. Just click on the links in the schedule to go to the correct page.
- Download the entire book for 21 days at a time (to a computer, phone, tablet, etc). To do this you will need to install a DRM capable e-reader app (Adobe Digital Editions or Bluefire Reader. I recommend Bluefire Reader). Go to the main page for the book and click on “Download Book.” Follow the prompts for your device, then open the downloaded file in your e-reader app. You will have to check out the book again after 21 days pass.
- Buy the book online.
|
Class |
Date |
Topic |
Reading |
|
1 |
8/28 |
Introduction to Ethics |
|
|
2 |
9/4 |
Syllabus, Pleasure |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. “Pleasure.” Ch. 1 in This Is Ethics: An Introduction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. (Read pp. 3-11). |
|
3 |
9/9 |
Value of Pleasure (Hedonism) |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. “Pleasure.” Ch. 1, continued. (Read pp. 11-20). |
|
4 |
9/11 |
Well-being |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. “Happiness, Well-being, and the Meaning of Life.” Ch. 2 in This Is Ethics: An Introduction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. (Read pp. 25-34). |
|
5 |
9/16 |
Well-being (Desire Satisfaction and Objective List theories) |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. “Happiness, Well-being, and the Meaning of Life.” Ch. 2 continued. (Read pp. 34-39) |
|
6 |
9/18 |
Happiness and the Meaning of Life |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. “Happiness, Well-being, and the Meaning of Life.” Ch. 2 continued. (Read pp. 39-44) |
|
7 |
9/23 |
Egoism |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. Ch. 3a in This Is Ethics: An Introduction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. (Read pp. 53-64). |
|
8 |
9/25 |
Egoism, continued |
|
|
9 |
9/30 |
Contractarianism |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. Ch. 3b in This Is Ethics: An Introduction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. (Read pp. 64-71). |
|
10 |
10/7 |
Contractarianism, continued |
|
|
11 |
10/9 |
Environment/Shared Resources |
Hardin, Garrett. 1968. “The tragedy of the commons.” Science 162 (3859): 1243-1248. (Read the whole article). |
|
12 |
10/15 [TUES] |
Hardin, continued. |
|
|
13 |
10/16 |
Utilitarianism |
Mill, John Stuart. 1865. “What Utilitarianism Is.” Ch. 2 in Utilitarianism, in the version by Jonathan Bennett* presented at www.earlymoderntexts.com. (Read pp. 4-17). |
|
14 |
10/21 |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. “Consequentialism” and “Mill’s Argument for Utilitarianism.” In This Is Ethics: An Introduction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. (Read pp. 80-90). Paper 1 thesis due. |
|
|
15 |
10/23 |
Midterm Review |
No reading |
|
16 |
10/28 |
Midterm |
No reading |
|
17 |
10/30 |
Treatment of Animals |
Singer, Peter. 1974. “All animals are equal.” Philosophic Exchange 5 (1). (Read the whole article). |
|
18 |
11/4 |
Singer, continued. |
|
|
19 |
11/6 |
Kantian Deontology |
Kant, Immanuel. Selection from Chapter 2 of the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, in the version by Jonathan Bennett presented at www.earlymoderntexts.com. (Read from the first full paragraph on page 23 through page 30). |
|
20 |
11/11 |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. “Kantian Ethics” and “Counterexamples and Convergence.” In This Is Ethics: An Introduction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. (Read pp. 90-106). |
|
|
21 |
11/13 |
Writing Workshop. Paper 1 rough draft due IN CLASS. |
|
|
22 |
11/18 |
Suicide |
Velleman, J David. 1999. “A Right of Self-Termination?” Ethics 109 (3): 606–28. (Read pp. 606-620). Paper 1 final draft due by midnight. |
|
23 |
11/20 |
Virtue Ethics |
Aristotle. Nichomachean Ethics. Translated by W.D. Ross. Kitchener, ON: Batoche Books, 1999. Read Book I, Sections 1, 2, 4, 5, 7; Book X, Sections 1-2. |
|
24 |
11/25 |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. “Virtue Ethics,” In This Is Ethics: An Introduction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. (Read pp. 124-133). |
|
|
25 |
12/2 |
Abortion |
Hursthouse, Rosalind. 1991. “Virtue Theory and Abortion.” Philosophy & Public Affairs 20 (3): 223-246. (beginning with the first full paragraph on page 233 (“As promised…”), read pp. 233-246) |
|
26 |
12/4 |
Feminist Ethics |
Frye, Marilyn. 1983. “Oppression.” From The politics of reality: Essays in feminist theory. Berkeley: Crossing Press. (Read the whole article). |
|
27 |
12/9 |
Disability |
Wendell, S. (1989). “Toward a feminist theory of disability.” Hypatia, 4(2), 104–124. (Read the whole article). |
|
28 |
12/11 |
Subjectivism and Relativism |
Suikkanen, Jussi. 2014. “Subjectivism” and “Relativism” In This Is Ethics: An Introduction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. (Read pp. 141-151). Theory Application Paper 2 due by midnight. |
|
29 |
12/16 |
Final Review |
No reading |
|
30 |
12/18 |
Final Exam |
No reading |
