• Instructor: G. Randolph Mayes
• Office: Mendocino 3028
• E-mail:  <mayesgr@csus.edu
• website: <www.csus.edu/indiv/m/mayesgr>
• Office Hours: TBA

Moral controversies that divide society today, such as abortion, the death penalty, affirmative action, sexism, nuclear deterrence.  Emphasis is on identifying the relevant values and moral principles underlying competing views and subjecting them to rational assessment. Prerequisite:  passing score on the WPE.

Learning Objectives

In this course we will study moral issues that arise as a result of scientific inquiry and technology.  In fact, almost every significant moral issue today is either created by or significantly affected by science and technology.  Our aim is not to examine every significant social issue, but to develop an appreciation of the impact of science and technology on moral issues generally.   Successful engagement in this course will also raise your awareness of the moral importance of scientific literacy.

Beyond hard work, the main requirement for success in this class is intellectual honesty. This means learning to give the strongest possible articulation to views with which one instinctively disagrees, and the strongest possible critique of views to which one is instinctively attracted. It is essential for students to understand that the aim of philosophical inquiry is not to justify our heretofore unexamined views or to vilify those with whom we disagree. Our aim is to insure that the views we adopt are the result of an informed and intelligent application of reason, rather than an unreflective application of instinct and habit.

Some students who have not taken much philosophy will come to it with the belief that moral questions are largely a "matter of opinion."  This can be just a way of expressing the fact that reasonable and informed people disagree on the answers to some moral questions.  However, insofar as it expresses the belief that there is no rational basis for preferring one answer to a moral question over another, it is false.  Rational people agree on the answers to the vast majority of moral questions. For example, all rational persons believe it is wrong to steal or to break promises or to inflict harm on others without a compelling moral justification.  The moral questions worthy of study are just the ones about which rational people disagree. As we will see, many of these questions are the result of recent advances in science and technology.  It is important to grasp from the outset that the existence of a disagreement between rational individuals depends on the assumption that there is a rational basis for preferring one answer to another. 

Assignments

• Students may write up to 6 analytical essays worth 15 points each. 4 of these essays will count toward the final grade.
• Students may answer up to 10 study questions worth 5 points each.  8  of these questions will count toward the final grade.

Instructions for writing  and submitting analytical essays and study questions are on the course homepage.  Please follow these instructions precisely or you will receive no credit.

Due Dates

There are no due dates for the analyses, however they must be turned in on the day that the class meets, and you may turn in no more than one per day.  Due dates for study questions are explained here.

Attendance

You must attend class.  Each meeting day consists of two class periods.  Roll is taken before each period. You may miss only two class periods  without penalty. For each absence over two your final grade will be reduced by 2 points (2%). Please carefully note the following:

• I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences.
• You are late if you come to class after I take role.
• If you are late you must tell me on that day or it will be counted as an absence.
• Three times late is equal to one absence.
• Special arrangements may be possible for students who encounter extreme circumstances, e.g., death in the family, long-term illness, etc., however it is the student's responsibility to notify me of these circumstances immediately. No after-the-fact explanations of serial absences will be accepted under any circumstances.

Keep up with the reading . Philosophy can be very demanding of your time and attention. Most students find they need to read philosophical writing several times before they have understood it.  Study questions are designed to help you keep up with the reading.   Start doing assignments right away.  Our standards rise as the class proceeds.  It is a particularly poor idea to wait until there are only 6 analyses and 8 study questions remaining.

Collaboration Policy

You are free to work together on questions and essays outside of class. Be advised, however, that if multiple students' work exhibit striking similarities (e.g., identical sentence structure, even in places) they will all be failed. Use each other as a source of ideas, but do your writing by yourself.

Grading

All writing will be graded on the basis of two criteria: form and content. Matters of form include grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, organization and conformity to the instructions. Matters of content include: textual accuracy, thoroughness,  and overall quality of thought. 

 

Assignments	Points Possible	Total Possible
Essays	4  x 15  pts	60 pts.
Study Questions	8 x 5 pts.	40 pts.
		100 pts.

Final letter grades are assigned on a standard scale. 92 and above = A, 90-91 = A-, 88-89 = B+, 82- 87 = B, 80-81 = B-, etc. Fractional point totals are rounded up from .5.
 
Extra Credit

An exceptionally  well done answer to a study questions will receive a grade of 6, in exchange for allowing me to use them as a sample answer on the study question webpage.

Optional Final
 

There will be an optional in-class final exam given on the last day of the class worth 15 pts.  Your grade on the final may be substituted for any analysis grade of 10 or better or any three study question grades of 3 or better.  (Note: This means that the final may not be substituted for unsubmitted work). 

Reading Material

All readings are online. See reading schedule.