Readings


Amazon logo When you click the Amazon logo to the left of any citation and purchase the book (or other media) from Amazon.com, MIT OpenCourseWare will receive up to 10% of this purchase and any other purchases you make during that visit. This will not increase the cost of your purchase. Links provided are to the US Amazon site, but you can also support OCW through Amazon sites in other regions. Learn more.

Texts

Required

Amazon logo Feinberg, Joel, and Russ Shafer-Landau, eds. Reason and Responsibility. 12th ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN: 0534543510. (Abbreviated RR in the Readings by Session)

Recommended

Amazon logo Woodhouse, Mark B. A Preface to Philosophy. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2003. ISBN: 0534595448.

Note: Readings followed by (RR) are available in the course text (Reason and Responsibility) at the page number indicated.


ses # Topics readings
1 Introduction
Reason To Believe: Does God Exist?
2 Existence of God: Ontological Argument Feinberg, Joel, and Russ Shafer-Landau. "Part I: Introduction." (RR: 2)

Anselm, St. "The Ontological Argument." From Proslogium. (RR: 6)

Gaunilo of Marmoutiers. "On Behalf of the Fool." (RR: 8)

Rowe, Wm. "The Ontological Argument." (RR: 11)
3 Problem of Evil I Dostoevsky, Fyodor. "Rebellion." From The Brothers Karamazov. (RR: 79)

Johnson, B. C. "God and the Problem of Evil." (RR: 85)

Swinburne, Richard. "God and the Problem of Evil." (RR: 89)
4 Problem of Evil II Russell, Bruce. "The Problem of Evil: Too Much Suffering." In Introduction to Philosophy. Edited by Louis P. Pojman. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN: 0195171500.
5 Pascal's Wager Pascal, Blaise. "The Wager." (RR: 114)

Blackburn, Simon. "Miracles and Testimony." (RR: 118)
Rationality and Belief
6 Ethics of Belief: Evidentialism v. Pragmatism Clifford, W. K. "The Ethics of Belief." (RR: 97)

James, William. "The Will to Believe." (RR: 101)
7 Stereotypes and Belief Blum, Lawrence. "Stereotypes and Stereotyping: A Moral Analysis." Philosophical Papers 33, no. 3 (November 2004): 251-289.

Recommended: Schmitt, Richard. "Ideology." In Introduction to Marx and Engels: A Critical Reconstruction. 2nd ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1997. ISBN: 0813332834.
8 Racism and Belief Marx, Karl. Selections on Religion.

Appiah, Kwame Anthony. "Racisms." In Anatomy of Racism. Edited by David Theo Goldberg. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1990, pp. 3-17. ISBN: 0816618046.
9 Scientific Reason or Scientific Faith? Hume, David. An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding. (Excerpt in RR: 199)

Recommended: Salmon, W. "An Encounter with David Hume." (RR: 224)
10 More on Science and Faith Kitcher, Philip. "Believing Where We Cannot Prove." (RR: 247)
Mind and Body
11 The Mind-Body Problem Feinberg, and Shafer-Landau. "Introduction to Part III." (RR: 257)

Swinburne, Richard. "A Defense of Substance Dualism." (RR: 263)
12 Consciousness and Felt Experience Jackson, Frank. "The Qualia Problem." (RR: 267)

Carruthers, Peter. "The Mind is the Brain." (RR: 276)
13 Materialist Options Churchland, Paul. "Behaviorism, Materialism, and Functionalism." (RR: 285)
14 Robots and Functionalism Searle, John. "Minds, Brains, and Programs." (RR: 305)

Lycan, William. "Robots and Minds." (RR: 318)
Freewill, Determinism, and Responsibility
15 Hard Determinism Feinberg, and Shafer-Landau. "Part IV: Introduction." (RR: 385)

Holbach, Paul. "The Illusion of Free Will." (RR: 392)
16 Compatibilism I Ayer, A. J. "Freedom and Necessity." From Philosophical Essays. (RR: 408)

Stace, W. "The Problem of Freewill." From Religion and the Modern Mind. (RR: 413)
17 Compatibilism II Frankfurt, Harry. "Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person." Journal of Philosophy 68, no. 1 (January 1971): 5-20.

Recommended: Wolf, Susan. "Sanity and the Metaphysics of Responsibility." (RR: 457)
18 Libertarianism Chisholm, Roderick. "Human Freedom and the Self." (RR: 418)
Morality and Rightconduct
19 Moral Variation Across Cultures Midgley, Mary. "Trying Out One's New Sword." (RR: 522)
20 Utilitarianism Mill, John Stuart. "Utilitarianism." Chapters 1-2. (RR: 594)
21 Ethical Egoism Nietzsche. "Master and Slave Morality." In Beyond Good and Evil. (A version of Beyond Good and Evil is available from Project Gutenberg.)

Rachels. "Ethical Egoism." From The Elements of Moral Philosophy. (RR)
22 Famine Singer, Peter. "Famine, Affluence, and Morality." (RR: 631)
23 Kantianism Kant, I. "The Good Will and the Categorical Imperative." (RR: 579)

Sayre-McCord, Geoff. "Kant's Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals: A Very Brief Selective Summary of Sections 1 and 2." (PDF)

Recommended: O'Neill, Onora. "Kantian Approaches to Some Famine Problems." (RR)
24 Famine, Virtue and Duty Aristotle. "The Nature of Virtue." (RR)

Blum. "Impartiality, Beneficence, and Friendship." In Morality in Practice. Edited by James P. Sterba. Sound Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2001. ISBN: 0534521118.

Recommended: McIntyre, Alasdair. "The Virtues, the Unity of a Human Life, and the Concept of a Tradition." In After Virtue. London, UK: Duckworth, 1981. ISBN: 026800594X.
25 Moral Luck Thomas, Nagel. "Moral Luck." In Moral Luck. Edited by Daniel Statman. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1993, 57-71. ISBN: 0791415406.
26 Just War Theory Nagel, Thomas. "War and Massacre." In Philosophy and Public Affairs 1, no. 2 (Winter 1972): 123-144.

Orend, Brian. "War."
27 Final lecture