24.02 | Fall 2008 | Undergraduate

Moral Problems and the Good Life

Lecture Notes

SES # TOPICS
1 Introduction
I. Value and the good life
2 Hedonism (PDF)
3 Desire satisfaction and the good (PDF)
4 Objective goods (PDF)
5 Immortality (PDF)
6 Three moral theories (PDF)
7 Film: “The Global Banquet: Politics of Food
8 Film: “Skin Deep
II. The moral community
9 Animal rights (PDF)
10 Consuming animals (PDF)
11 The value of nature (PDF)
12 Environmentalism (PDF)
III. Obligations to others

A. Global justice

13 The distant needy (PDF)
14 Famine relief (PDF)
15 Addressing structural injustice (PDF)

B. Racism, sexism and speech

16 Racism: attitudes and structures (PDF)
17

Affirmative action

Guest lecture: Adam Hosein, MIT Linguistics and Philosophy

18 Racist speech (PDF)
19 Hate speech (PDF)
20 Free speech and pornography (PDF)
21 Pornography and equality (PDF)

C. Sexual morality and marriage

22 Film: “Tying the Knot
23 Sexual morality (PDF)
24 Homosexuality
25 Gay and lesbian marriage (PDF)
26 Final lecture, exam questions distributed

Course Info

As Taught In
Fall 2008
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
Written Assignments