Philosophy 80-136

Social Structure, Public Policy, and Ethical Dilemmas

 

Instructor: Peter Spirtes   

Office: 135D BH

Phone: x88460

e-mail: ps7z@andrew.cmu.edu

Office Hours: 11:00 –  12:00, MW

 

 

Teaching Assistant: Andrew Banas

Office: Baker Hall 143

Phone: 88148

e-mail: banas@andrew.cmu.edu

Office hours: MW 10:30am - 12:00pm

 

Books

D. Husak: Drugs and Rights

D. Copp and S. Wendell: Pornography and Censorship

R. Baird and S. Rosenbaum: The Ethics of Abortion

 

Grades: 70% quizzes

              20% final

              10% class participation

Schedule

  1. January 17: Introduction
  2. January 19: Pornography – ethics

Copp and Wendell, pp. 45–59, pp. 83–104

  1. January 24 – Pornography II – legal

Copp and Wendell, pp. 333–366

  1. January 26 – Pornography III – empirical

Copp and Wendell, pp. 275–311

  1. January 31 – Social  – just societies

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/contractarianism-contemporary/, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberalism/

  1. February 2 – Social  – prisoners dilemma

 http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/prisoner-dilemma/

 (through Multiple Person Games)

  1. February 7 – Social  – distributive justice

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/justice-distributive/

  1. February 9 – Constitution  –

http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/constitution.html  (including Bill of Rights)

  1. February 14 – Constitution II
  2. February 16 – Causality I
  3. February 21 – Causality II
  4. February 23 – Causality III
  5. February 28 – Causality IV
  6. March 1 – Pornography –

review

  1. March 8 – Drugs Overview –

 Husak, Chapter 1

  1. March 13 – Drugs and Harm to Self –

Husak, Chapter 2

  1. March 15 – Drugs and Harm to Self –

Husak, Chapter 2

  1. March 20 – Drugs and Harm to Others –

Husak, Chapter 3

  1. March 22 – Abortion and the Fetus –

Baird and Rosenbaum, pp. 263–269, Abortion CD

  1. April 3 – Abortion and Ethics –

Baird and Rosenbaum, pp. 197–225

  1. April 5 – Abortion and Ethics –

Baird and Rosenbaum, pp. 226–249

  1. April 10– Abortion and the Law –

Baird and Rosenbaum, pp. 33–66

  1. April 12– War I
  2. April 17– War II
  3. April 19 – War III
  4. April 24 – Taxes I
  5. April 26 – Taxes II
  6. May 1  – Taxes III
  7. May 3 – Review