ETHICS: The study of proper behavior, broadly construed. What is the good life? What duties do I have to myself and others? What does good moral reasoning look like?

Investigation requires a method One cannot answer a question without knowing how to answer it. Philosophy is neither anthropology nor psychology. It is an investigation into the underpinnings of human behavior. Are the practices we have justified? If so, how? How could we answer these questions?

Arguments 1. If we are in a class Dr. Rodgers teaches, we are in a philosophy class. 2. We are in a class Dr. Rodgers teaches. 3. Thus, we are in a philosophy class Premises – Evidence to support a conclusion. A Conclusion – What one seeks to establish In this argument, 1 and 2 are premises. The conclusion is 3. There is no maximum limit to the number of premises an argument may have, though there is a minimum. There must be at least one premise and one conclusion..

Parts of an Argument Propositions - Statements about the world. Propositions may be true or false. Ex. This is Houston Community College. Ex. This is Harvard University. Ex. You should not murder.

Normative and Descriptive Normative – How things should be Descriptive – How they are. Find out more at the PowerPoint Getting Started Center (Click the arrow when in Slide Show mode)

Normative v Descriptive Normative (Prescriptive) You should not lie You should not steal. You should study geometry. You shoudl not raise your arm. Descriptive People sometimes lie. People sometimes steal. Some people haven’t studied geometry. It hurts when I raise my arm.

Properties of an Argument Validity Validity is about structure. A deductively valid argument has a truth preserving structure. A deductively valid argument can have false premises. Validity is the low bar Soundness Soundness is about structure and content Sound arguments must be both valid and have all true premises Soundness is the high bar for having a cogent argument