PL 202, Fall 2009

Bill Soderberg, Professor

READING and DISCUSSION SCHEDULE

PART 1:	MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Week 1 Aug. 31-Sept. 4	WEEK 1: CULTURAL and INDIVIDUAL RELATIVISM GP 1-19 Moral Relativism MORAL ISSUE 1: Is morality relative to each culture? Question for Discussion 1: What are some examples that seem to show that morality is relative to each culture?       MORAL ISSUE 2: Is morality relative to each individual?                             Question for Discussion 2: Is it true to say that if an individual regards an action as right, the action is right?
Week 2  Sept. 7-11	WEEK 2: PLATONISM GP 23-27 Plato: Ancient Moral Communitarianis GP 111-113 "On Plato" MORAL ISSUE 3: Is the Form of the Good the measure of right action? Question for Discussion 3a: Can a physical representation of a circle be perfect?      GP 27-29; 116 "On Augustine": Medieval Moral Communitarianism MORAL ISSUE 4: Is God’s will the measure of right action? Question for Discussion 3b: Does God command an action because it is right, or is an action right because God commands it?
Week 3  Sept. 14-18	WEEK 3: SCHOLASTICISM GP 29-34 Aristotle: Ancient Moral Communitarianism GP 113-115 "On Aristotle" GP 32-34 Thomas Aquinas: Medieval Moral Communitarianism: MORAL ISSUE 5: Is self-realization the measure of right action? Question for Discussion 4: Should every type of human potential be fulfilled?
Week 4  Sept. 21-25	WEEK 4: CONTRACTARIANISM GP 35-40  Hobbes: Roots of Modern Liberalism GP 40-41  Hume: Roots of Modern Liberalism MORAL ISSUE 6: Is self-interest the measure of a right action? Question for Discussion 5: Is each person, deep down, simply and solely self-interested?
Week 5 Sept. 28-            Oct. 4	WEEK 6: LIBERTARIANISM GP 40-45  Hume, Locke, and Jefferson: Moral and Political Philosophy GP 117-120 "On Locke" Jefferson Letter to Van der Kemp (see my website) Jefferson Letter to John Adams (see my website) MORAL ISSUE 7: Is consent of the governed the measure of right action? Question for Discussion 6a: Can majority rule stabilize a society? GP 45-48  Kant: Moral and Political Philosophy GP 120-121 "On Kant"; Kant Conjectural Beginning of Human History (see my website) MORAL ISSUE 8: Is unanimous consent of the governed the measure of right action? Question for Discussion 6b: Are people fair-minded by nature?
Week 6 Oct. 5-9	WEEK 6: UTILITARIANISM GP 48-52   Bentham, Mill and Taylor GP 121-122 "On Mill"; Mill Utilitarianism (see my website) MORAL ISSUE 9: Is the greatest good of the greatest number (or the greatest net benefit) the measure of right action? Question for Discussion 7: Is altruism the motive that makes one a moral being? FIRST EXAM: See Directions on Website www.montgomerycollege.edu/~bsoderbe
Week 7 Oct. 12-16  EXAM 1	WEEK 7: SOCIALISM AND CONTEMPORARY CONTRACTARIANISM SOCIALISM GP 52-54 Marx POLITICAL ISSUE 1: Can the principle of the greatest good of the greatest number resolve conflicts between rights? Question for Discussion 8a: Can socialism stabilize a society?   CONTEMPORARY CONTRACTARIANISM GP 54-58  Rawls GP 125-126 "On Rawls"; Rawls A Theory of Justice (see my website) POLITICAL ISSUE 2: Do rights come from God, nature, or humans? Question for Discussion 8b: Can a society be stable that claims to create rights by unanimous vote from a hypothetical, cards-down perspective? (For first exam, see the directions on website or in MyMC.)