Introduction to Ethical Theory Phil 240, Week 2, Lecture 1 SUM2013, M-F, 10:50-11:50, SAV136 Instructor: Ben Hole Agenda 1.Clicker Quiz 2.Introduction to Social Contract Theory 3.We will begin Hobbes today and continue with him tomorrow …

QUIZ Please set your Turning Technology Clicker to channel 41 Press “Ch”, then “41”, then “Ch”

1. Deontological approaches to ethical theory. A. Are value-based B. Are duty-based C. Take the good as primary and the right as derivative D. Take the right as primary and the good as derivative E. A and C F. B and D

2. Hobbes claims that human beings are roughly equal in: A. Strength of body B. Faculties of mind C. Hope of attaining desired ends D. All of the above E. None of the above

3. In Hobbes’s view, to say something is good is to say that: A. It is conducive to human happiness (eudaimonia) B. You desire it C. Most people desire it D. Most people ought to desire it E. All of the above F. None of the above

Reading Schedule D ATE R EQUIRED R EADING R ECOMMENDED R EADINGS Week One: June Why be moral? Moral Theory Primer  Syllabus  Plato,  Timmons (electronic)  Shafer-Landau, 1-17  Shafer-Landau,  Concepción (electronic) Week Two: July 1-5 Social Contract Theory and Collective Action Problems  Hobbes,  Hardin (electronic)  Vaughn, “How to Read an Argument” (electronic)  Shafer-Landau, Week Three: July 8-12 Utilitarianism  Nozick (electronic)  Bentham,  Shafer-Landau,  Shafer-Landau, Week Four: July Utilitarianism  Singer,  Mill,  Shafer-Landau,  Shafer-Landau, Week Five: July Kantian Ethics  Kant,  O’Neil (electronic)  Velleman (electronic)  Shafer-Landau, Week Six: July 29 - August 2 Against Utilitarianism & Kantian Ethics  Anscombe,  Williams,  Wolf,  Stocker (electronic)  Baker (electronic) Week Seven: August 5-8 Virtue Ethics  Aristotle, ;  Shafer-Landau,  Aristotle, Week Eight: August Virtue Ethics  Nussbaum,  Wolf,  Shafer-Landau,  Note: Final Paper due August 12 Week Nine: August Contemporary Moral Issues: Abortion  Thomson,  Hursthouse,  Review for the final  Note: Final Exam August 23

Contractarianism Contractarianism: “the view that morality is based on a social contract” (RSL, 188) Glaucon in Plato’s Republic.

Social Contract Theory “The imaginary device through which equally imaginary individuals, living in solitude … come together to form a society, accepting obligations of some minimal kind to one another and immediately or very soon thereafter binding themselves to a political sovereign who can enforce those obligations” (Honderich, T., The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, 2 nd eds, OUP 2005, pg. 174) Glaucon, Republic 358 e-359 b “In Book II, Glaucon offers a candidate for an answer to the question “what is justice?” by representing a social contract explanation for the nature of justice. What men would most want is to be able to commit injustices against others without the fear of reprisal, and what they most want to avoid is being treated unjustly by others without being able to do injustice in return. Justice then, he says, is the conventional result of the laws and covenants that men make in order to avoid these extremes.”

Thomas Hobbes ( ) a) The founder of modern contractarianism. b) Hobbes imagined a state of nature, in which there is no central authority with the power to enforce its will on others. a) To escape the state of nature, people would establish a social contract—a set of rules to promote social cooperation.

Contractarianism Equality of Parties Descriptive Basis for Cooperation Mutual Advantage Role of Agreement Underwrite a stable system of social interaction between actual agents

The Tragedy of the Commons a) Multiple individual interests … b) Common resources …

Prisoner's Dilemmas A prisoner's dilemma a collective action problem in which all people would be better off if all could agree to scale back their pursuit of self-interest. This happens in situations in which there is fierce competition for scarce resources.

The Prisoner’s Dilemma a) It is individually rational not to cooperate. b) It is collectively rational to cooperate.

The Prisoner’s Dilemma Standard Solutions Appeal to broader self-interests … Appeal to some notion of reciprocity or fairness …

When lots of people cooperate in a way that brings about a common good, all people can benefit from it—even those who didn't contribute. The Free-Rider Problem

Contractarianism: “the view that morality is based on a social contract” (RSL, 188) A. Strongly Agree B. Agree C. Somewhat Agree D. Neutral E. Somewhat Disagree F. Disagree G. Strongly Disagree

The Consent Argument 1) We have a duty to obey the law only if we have consented to do so. 2) Many have not given their consent to obey the law. 3) Therefore, many people do not have a duty to obey the law. What Social Contract?

Thomas Hobbes ( ) Translated Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War (1628) The English Civil War (1642–1651)

Thomas Hobbes ( ) a) Hobbes imagined a state of nature, in which there is no central authority with the power to enforce its will on others. b) Life in the state of nature, Hobbes said, would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” c) To escape the state of nature, people would establish a social contract—a set of rules to promote social cooperation.

The State of Nature “In such condition, there is no place for industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving, and removing, such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Hobbes argues that, due to human nature and its consequences, the natural state of human beings is a war of all against all, in which life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Hobbes argues that, due to human nature and its consequences, the natural state of human beings is a war of all against all, in which life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” What is his argument for this claim? What is his argument for this claim? Reconstruct the argument in premise- conclusion form. Reconstruct the argument in premise- conclusion form.