WHAT PHILOSOPHY IS: Philosophy is the attempt to come to a systematic understanding of the objective world through the use of reason. The philosophical approach assumes a commitment to follow the truth wherever it leads, however uncomfortable it may make us and in spite of what we may wish to be true. It strives for logical consistency and agreement with the empirical evidence. Philosophy is about asking questions, especially questions no one else wants to ask. Philosophy even questions the unquestionable, including things considered to be "common sense," such as the existence of an external world of matter, free will, God, the soul, an afterlife, or, in the case of this class, the existence of universal, objective moral values (or perhaps the unquestionable certainty of our age is the dogma that morality is culturally relative or completely subjective). Philosophy uses conceptual analysis as its primary tool. Properly analyzing concepts requires the rigorous definition of terms, so the precise use of language is very important to philosophers, or at least to the good ones. This goes all the way back to Socrates. Fuzzy language evinces fuzzy thinking.

WHAT PHILOSOPHY IS NOT: Philosophy is not about exploring your "personal beliefs." Nor is it about your feelings, as reality is not based on your subjective emotional state. Philosophy is not about your identity, your sex, your gender, your sexual orientation, your culture or your "race." When engaging in philosophical discourse, avoid prefacing statements with "As a woman, BIPOC, Christian, member of the LGBTQ+ community, etc.), as philosophy is about universal truths that apply to everyone equally, regardless of identity. Philosophy is not about your faith or "how you were raised." Avoid thinking in these terms and using subjective phrases like "personally" and "in my personal opinion" when doing philosophy. Philosophy (and indeed all academic discourse) is about your impersonal opinion, i.e. your opinion backed by reasons and evidence. Although there is an historical tradition associated with philosophy, it is not primarily about history, and even though understanding their historical or cultural context may help us understand the ideas of particular philosophers, it is the ideas themselves with which philosophy is concerned.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN AND NON-WESTERN CULTURES: There were few women philosophers until the beginning of the feminist movement in the 19th century. This was true of most other academic fields due to the institutionalization of pre-modern gender roles. Because this is a survey class concerned with major historical figures and basic concepts in ethics, we won't be reading many women philosophers. This should in no way be seen as casting aspersions on women as a class of people. We will, however, be spending a significant amount of time with Ayn Rand, who happens to be a woman and also one of the most important and influential philosophers and intellectuals of the 20th century, especially in ethics and political philosophy.

Along those same lines, for various complex historical and cultural reasons, philosophy emerged and flourished in the West and is the heritage of Western Civilization. It uniquely sowed the seeds for the scientific and industrial revolutions in Western Europe, leading to our modern technological world, as well as providing the social and political concepts on which the United States was founded. Like the scientific method and industrial production techniques, Western concepts such as individual rights, separation of Church and State, democratic self-government, meritocracy and free market capitalism have been adopted by many non-Western societies and diffused throughout the world. This is yet another reason to focus on theories of value that arose from and influenced the development of the Western world and, consequently, the rest of human civilization. The ethical traditions of other civilizations, including indigenous cultures, are covered extensively in history, cultural anthropology and ethnic studies courses.

Finally, it is important to understand that "Western" is just a conventional term for ideas which first emerged in Western Europe. An idea's place of origin or the particulars of the person who first developed or expounded it has nothing whatever to do with its truth value or importance in increasing human understanding. Newton and Leibniz discovered calculus around the same time and each accused the other of stealing his discovery. Yet calculus is neither essentially a English idea nor a German idea, nor is it a European or "white male" idea. Who was first to discover it, where he lived and the details of his ancestry and nationality are irrelevant to the validity and usefulness of calculus. So it is with all intellectual discoveries and theoretical innovations, including those concerning moral value.

COURSE OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Differentiate between the metaehtical theories of realism, anti-realism, absolutism, relativism and divine command theory, as well as the normative theories of egoism, utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics.
2. Identify notable figures in moral philosophy and their contributions to the field.
3. Explain concepts embedded in primary source material.
4. Evaluate ethical theories for logical coherence and alignment with moral intuitions, and cogently argue for or against each of these theories as explanations for moral phenomena and guides to right action.
5. Apply ethical theories to personal moral dilemmas encountered in daily life.
6. Apply ethical theories to controversial social and political problems.

READING: It is important to read the material in order to perform well in on exams.

RECORDED VIDEO LECTURES: In addition to the reading, there are recorded video lectures linked in Moodle. Make sure to watch these each week, as they will help you understand the readings, especially primary source material, which can sometimes be rather sense and complex. There may be material on exams which is covered in these recordings but not explicitly stated or covered in the text. Please ignore any comments about forum posts or other course requirements, as these have changed since the videos were recorded. Always defer to the syllabus and the directions and deadlines in Moodle. You will need to log into your Lane Google account in order to access the videos. They may take a minute to load, especially if you are on a slow connection. You may want to pause the video to jot down notes or click the gear icon to increase the playback speed, and you can turn the captions off or on by clicking the "CC" icon. Click the rectangle on the lower right to go full screen. I dropped the second hour discussion from Week Five on for lack of participation, so later weeks will just have about an hour of lecture. For live discussion with the instructor, please attend office hours on Zoom or in person in CEN 410J.

QUIZZES: There are ten weekly quizzes based on that week's reading and videos plus any other material linked in Moodle for that week. Some of these questions may appear again on the midterm exams and final. Quizzes are due every Sunday before 11:59pm. Late submission is blocked. The Syllabus Quiz from the first week will also count towards your total score for quizzes. The lowest of these eleven quiz scores is dropped. You should take each quiz until you get all of the questions right. Make sure to review the answers on your last attempt, as they will only be available before the deadline. After that you will see only your score. If you miss the deadline, you'll get a zero.

FORUM POSTS: The purpose of the forum assignment is to give you the opportunity to interpret, evaluate and apply what you have learned, and to discuss the merits and implications of class concepts and theories with your classmates. It emphasizes peer-to-peer learning in which you learn from your fellow students. You must write 200-300 words discussing a direct quote from the reading assigned for that week AND addressing a specific point from that week's video lecture before the Sunday 11:59pm deadline. Your post must quote a different passage and point in the lecture than previous posts, so I know you have done the reading and watched the video and are not basing your work on the work of other students in the thread. Your quote should be short, less than 100 words, since the entire post is limited to 300 words and you need to write about a point in the lecture video as well.

Your quote must be from the primary source material, i.e. from the works excerpted in the text, not the instructor's explanatory notes and commentary, though these will help you understand and interpret the quote (an exception to this is Chapter Ten, where there are no excerpted sources). The quote must not only concern ethics, but also the central issues surrounding the view discussed that week. For example, Montaigne's introductory remarks about the reliability of his servant (the source for his information in Of Cannibals) would not be an appropriate passage to quote from. His argument that lower class people tend to be more honest and reliable than the upper classes does concern ethics, but is not related to relativism, the topic for Week One, so it would also not be appropriate. Quotes about the cannibals' differing practices concerning marriage or material goods, their differing motivations for warfare or their attitudes toward cannibalism (and your comments relating these things to cultural relativism) would all be appropriate. An example of an appropriate quote is given in the Week One Forum. Your comments should not merely paraphrase or reiterate the point in the quote you choose. They may analyze or explain the quote, agree or disagree, provide an example or application of it, contrast it with the view of another philosopher we've studied, pose a question or identify a problem, and so on. You will be graded on whether you correctly interpret and understand the quote and say something significant about it.

Make sure your post also references a specific and identifiable point in the video lecture and doesn't just make a vague allusion to it in passing as you discuss your quote. If you don't address a specific point in the video lecture, the most you can receive is half credit. I should easily be able to identify the point you reference. The quote and point from the video can be on the same topic or different ones.

You can reply to other students, but will only be graded on your original post. To encourage students to actually watch the videos, Powerpoint slides won't be available the Monday after the weekly posting deadline.

FORUM POST GROUPS: You will be randomly assigned to the "Odd" or "Even" group. Odds post to Weeks 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 before the Sunday 11:59pm deadlines of those weeks. Evens post to Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 before the Sunday 11:59pm deadlines of those weeks. Late posting is blocked. You can see which group you are in by seeing whether you have a "reply" button. If you see a reply button in the Week One Forum, you are in the "Odd" group. If you don't see a reply button in the Week One Forum, you are in the "Even" group. You are expected to read the posts and instructor feedback in both groups.

FORUM POST FORMATTING: Avoid all titles, headers, greetings and signatures. Moodle displays your name, the date, the topic and the forum week; duplicating this information clutters up the forum. Write in block format, like this syllabus, with no indenting, single-spaced with two or more paragraphs, spacing between paragraphs, and using the default font. Do not post a wall of text with no paragraph breaks or your post will be penalized. Do not wish people a good weekend or sign your name. Please save niceties for the Personal Introductions Forum and Social Forum.

It is recommended that you compose your post in Google Docs or Word (or similar word-processor). You can check the word count in Word by choosing Tools --> Word Count. Composing your post offline will prevent it from being lost in case of a connection error in Moodle. If you're pasting from Google docs, Microsoft Word or similar programs, you may need to save as plain text first. After you've posted, make sure that your post's formatting looks OK, that the font size and style is the same as the rest of the forum, that there are NO EXTRA SPACES above or below the text (or two spaces between paragraphs), that you have at least two paragraphs and that the word count is at least 200 and no more than 300 words. Formatting errors will be penalized. Posts below 200 words or above 300 words according to the Moodle word count will be penalized. Do not post over 300 words and apologize for going over length; edit your post down to below 300 words. See the Student Help Desk for help using Moodle forums.

FORUM POST PLAGIARISM WARNING: Do not use any materials other than the text and class videos in writing your post. Any evidence of copying, paraphrasing or EVEN CONSULTING secondary resources, online or otherwise, including chat bots, will be considered PLAGIARISM, result in a zero on the assignment and may involve additional penalties, including a course penalty of one letter grade, an F in the course and referral to Academic and Student Affairs for disciplinary action. Word to the wise: The same Google searches and chat bots that can be used to plagiarize can be used to detect plagiarism, and there are other means of detecting it as well. Have some self-respect; do your own thinking! Don't be a second-hander!
 
FORUM POST CONTENT GUIDELINES: Avoid phrases like "personally" and "in my personal opinion." You are expected to give your impersonal opinion, backed by logical arguments, empirical evidence and clear examples. For example, instead of saying "In my personal opinion, Montaigne isn't a cultural relativist" say "Montaigne can't be a cultural relativist because he criticizes his own culture." Don't use phrases like "I feel," "I believe, or even "I think." It is assumed that anything you state in your post is what you believe or think, and "I feel" suggests you are trying to think with your emotions, which is always a bad idea, but especially so in an academic assignment. Generally speaking, first-person pronouns like "I" and "my" should not occur in your post. Express your thoughts in objective, third-person language.

Avoid tedious references to lots of people having lots of different opinions on the subject or the suggestion that this fact alone -- if it is a fact -- shows that "there is no (one) answer." Assume that there is always an answer, and say what you think that answer might be.

Do not quote dictionary definitions of philosophical terms. A dictionary definition gives the popular or colloquial usage and is often different from the technical, philosophical usage of a word. For example, in ethics the term "consequences" simply means the results of an action, good or bad. In popular usage, this term has negative connotations, as in the phrase "There will be consequences!" "Consequence" is often used as a synonym for punishment in the context of disciplining a child. This is totally different from the use of the term in discussions of utilitarianism and deontology.

After the first week, avoid invoking relativism or framing ethical issues in relativistic terms. This includes lazy, meaningless comments about people having their own beliefs or everyone having his own "moral compass." Watch yourself on this or you will lose points. Assume from Week Two onward that ethics is objective (i.e. even if, as skeptics claim, it's illegitimate, suppose it's illegitimate for everyone). From Week Three onward, assume ethics is real, universal and absolute and that you are attempting to discover which theory, if any, best describes and justifies it. The one exception to this is Week Ten, where you are asked to consider the problem of moral knowledge and once again grapple with the skeptical position and its implications.

EDIT YOUR FORUM POST: Carefully revise and proofread your post for typos, awkward language, conceptual vagueness and inconsistency. Be precise. Use particular examples. Make every word count. Make sure you are using the right words. Use proper grammar. Avoid long run-on sentences and ambiguous reference problems. Avoid overly formal language. This typically just comes off as pretentious and makes your post more difficult to read. Don't use overblown rhetoric, excessive sarcasm, slang, obscenities or other language or tones which are inappropriate for an academic assignment. Give some consideration the other side(s) and avoid straw man and ad hominem arguments. You will only have 5 minutes to edit your post after you have made it, so it's best to do most of your editing before posting, ideally offline and then copying and pasting into Moodle to avoid losing your post to a connection error. Use the brief editing window to make sure that the font and formatting matches other posts, that there are no blank spaces at the top or bottom and that you are not under or over the word count. If you can't fix it and have your post saved offline, you can always hit "Delete" before the five minutes is up and start over.

FORUM POST GRADING: Postings will be awarded a grade of "10" (full credit) to "0" (no credit). Please note that I have the grade book set to ignore empty grades. Therefore, if you miss the deadline, it won't show up in your grade until the end of the term. At that time, any of the five required forum posts you didn't do will be counted as a zero. I have the "ignore empty grades" setting on now to give you a meaningful and accurate assessment of your grade "thus far," assuming you complete the assignments. The Personal Introduction Forum will count toward your "Forum Posts" score. The lowest of these six posts (Personal Introduction Forum + 5 odd or even week posts) will be dropped.

EXAMS: Exams cannot be taken at home. Most students will be taking their exams at Instructional Testing Services, located in CEN 311 on the Main Campus in Eugene. Students living in Florence may take their exams at the Florence Center. The Cottage Grove Center is currently closed for renovations. Students who will be taking the course from elsewhere will need to arrange a proctor; email online@lanecc.edu for more information.

Exams are taken via Moodle but with a setting which restricts access to LCC testing centers or approved proctors. You will have about a week to take each exam. Opening and closing times for the exams are listed in the table above and may also be seen by clicking on the exam name in the main course view in Moodle. Hours for Instructional Testing Services may be found on their webpage. Proctored testing at the Florence Center is by appointment only. If you live in Florence, please call (541) 997-8444 to schedule your exams there.

You must arrive half an hour before closing, though it is recommended you give yourself at least an hour for each exam. You will need a government issued photo I.D., such as a state-issued driver's license, state-issued I.D. card, passport or "green card." You will need to know your L Number and MyLane PIN to log into Moodle. You will also need to know the course number (PHL 201), my name (Borrowdale) and whether you're taking the First Midterm Exam, Second Midterm Exam or Final Exam. If English is your second language, dictionaries will be on hand for you to use. If your native language isn't a common one, please contact Instructional Testing Services ahead of time to make sure they have your language. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to use your own paper or electronic dictionary. During the exam you may use a 3 x 5 note card (both sides) or a piece of paper measured with a ruler and cut to the same size.

The exam format will be multiple choice and true/false questions. The final will not be comprehensive.

Each exam has a study guide linked in Moodle. Read the questions and make sure you can answer each of them. If you don't know the answer to a particular question, search the relevant section of the online textbook, the Powerpoints, your notes from the lectures and videos for the answer. You may even want to write out the answers to help you study for the exams or even do so as you move through the course. If you are unsure of the answer to a question, send me a Moodle message or come by office hours to ask.
 
You will have about a week to take each exam. The opening and closing times of exams are listed in the table above, in the course outline below and in the Weekly Outline in Moodle. Clicking on any exam in the main course view in Moodle will also show you the exact opening and closing dates and times as well, along with the chapters and weeks it covers. There is no time limit, but once you start the exam, you must finish it, and you must also finish it before the testing center closes that day.

Once you take your exam, you will immediately receive your score as well as be able to see the questions you missed along with the correct answers. Please give yourself time to review the exam right after you take it, as you will not be able to review your exam from home. Since the midterms cover different subject matter and the final is not comprehensive, you won't be tested on the same material again.You are, however, encouraged to see what you missed and view the correct answers for your own personal knowledge and edification.

EXAM DEADLINE POLICY: Since you will have at least a week to take each exam, you will be expected to meet the deadline. However, you may contact the instructor via Moodle message (not email) to request an extension on the midterm exams before the deadline without penalty. Please include the class, the exam and the date to which you would like it extended in your message. The Final Exam deadline cannot be extended, as it is Thursday of Final Exam Week and on Thursday night or Friday morning, I will be determining course grades.  If you miss the deadline for the final due to some unforeseen circumstance or emergency situation, contact the instructor via Moodle message ASAP.

PENALTIES FOR CHEATING: Students caught cheating on an exam will be given an F in the course.

GRADING: Moodle will tell you your grade based on the assignments completed so far. Anything you don't complete will be converted to a zero near the end of the term. Make sure to complete all of the quizzes, forum posts and exams by the deadlines!

At the end of the term, the class will be graded on the following absolute scale, with course totals rounded up to the nearest whole number: