Niko Kolodny
Assistant Professor
Department of Philosophy
University of California, Berkeley

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Phil 2: Individual Morality and Social Justice

MWF 9–10am in 145 Dwinelle

Office hours: F12–2 (except Sept. 7, 21, Nov. 23) in 144 Moses Hall, or by appointment

We will survey the basic questions of moral and political philosophy, as well as some classic attempts to answer them.  We will ask, among other things: What is the morally right thing for me to do?  Why should I do it?  Is there a fact of the matter what it is, or does it just depend on my feelings or upbringing?  Why should I do what the government tells me to?  Why should I tolerate alien moral beliefs and practices?  We will read, among others: Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Bentham, Mill, and Nietzsche.

Announcements:

The syllabus for the rest of the semester has been revised. Please see below.

Syllabus:

REVISED Syllabus (PDF) Revised 11/14/07

REVISED Syllabus (HTML) Revised 11/14/07

Handouts

FINAL EXAM STUDY QUESTIONS

27. December 7, 2007

26. November 28 and 30, and December 3, 2007

FOURTH PAPER ASSIGNMENT

25. November 26, 2007

24. November 14 and 16, 2007

No new handout for Friday, November 9. But please bring the one from last time.

23. November 7, 2007 -- But please bring the handout from last time.

No new handout for Monday, November 5. But please bring the one from last time.

THIRD PAPER ASSIGNMENT

22. November 2, 2007 -- But please bring the handout from last time.

21. October 31, 2007 -- But please bring the handout from last time.

No new handout for Monday, Oct. 29. But please bring the handout from last time.

20. October 26, 2007 -- But please bring the handout from last time.

19. October 24, 2007 -- But please bring the handout from last time.

18. October 22, 2007 -- But please bring the handout from last time.

17. October 19, 2007 -- The older version of this one had a mistake! On the middle of the second page: "Nihilists will deny (2) and (3), because they believe that every no moral belief is false true." Why was this a mistake?

16. October 17, 2007

15. October 15, 2007

14. October 12, 2007

13. October 10, 2007

SECOND PAPER ASSIGNMENT

WRITING WORKSHOP EXERCISES -- for Oct. 5 and 8.

12. October 3, 2007 -- But please also bring the handout from last time.

11. October 1, 2007 -- But please also bring the handout from last time.

10. September 28, 2007

REVISED Syllabus (PDF)

REVISED Syllabus (HTML)

9. September 26, 2007

No new handout for Sept. 21 or 24.

8. September 17 and 19, 2007

7. September 14, 2007 -- But please also bring the one from Sept. 12.

FIRST PAPER ASSIGNMENT

6. September 12, 2007 -- But please also bring the one from Sept. 10.

5. September 10, 2007

No new handout for Sept. 7. Please bring the one from Sept. 5.

4. September 5, 2007

3. August 31, 2007

2. August 29, 2007

1. August 27, 2007