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Lecturer(s)
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Jamieson Lesley Paige, Ph.D.
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Pacovská Kamila, Mgr. Ph.D.
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Course content
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1. Introduction 2. Freedom and Determinism 3. Freedom and Resentment 4. Blame and Anger 5. Blame as Education 6. Moral Luck, Williams 7. Moral Luck, Nagel 8. Liability and Negligence 9. Responsibility for Believing 10. Conscience and Social Morality 11. Responsibility and Social Morality 12. Intellectualism and Avoidance
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Monologic (reading, lecture, briefing), Dialogic (discussion, interview, brainstorming)
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Learning outcomes
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Course Description: In this course, our central topic will be moral responsibility, the nature of blame, and when it should be withheld from apparent wrongdoers. We will examine a number of categories of "excuse", conditions that arguably mitigate the blameworthiness of behaviour, including: causal determinism, ignorance of fact, and moral ignorance (especially forms rooted in culture and upbringing). In each of these discussions, you will be invited to reflect on the forms that blame take, the role that blame practices have in human life, and how this bears on questions of the appropriateness of blame in the cases under consideration. Seminar Format: Each seminar will focus on a paper which you will be expected to have read. I will begin by making some introductory remarks before inviting you to raise clarificatory or critical questions about the text and make connections with previous readings from the course. You will be asked to prepare question sheets in advance and submit them electronically before class. Assessment: You will be responsible for submitting 3 problem analyses. Two will be due during the semester, and the third during the exam period. Additionally, 10% of your grade will be based on the timely submission of question sheets.
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Prerequisites
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Competence with speaking and writing in English
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Written examination
1. Active attendance in the course, preparation of the reading (the student can miss three sessions maximum). 2. Written assignment: Two texts of "Problem analysis" (3 to 4 normed pages plus bibliography) relating to the topic discussed at the course. The second one will be graded for the examination (Zkouška). The Problem analysis is written as a structured text (you can use numbers, headings, subheadings, etc) that states a clear thesis (claim) and presents an argument in its favour. The author formulates the problem concerned and, based on her own argument and consideration of relevant literature, she adopts her own position and states it clearly in the text together with the supporting argument or justification. A mere general exposition of a topic (a textbook overview) is not admitted.
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Recommended literature
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Herman, B. "On the Value of Acting from the Motive of Duty". in Herman, The Practice of Moral Judgment, Cambridge, MA.
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Chappell, T. "Glory as an Ethical Idea" in Knowing What to Do. Oxford University Press.
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Kant, I. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Transl. Mary Gregor, Jens Timmermann. A German-English edition, Cambridge University Press 2011.
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Nagel, T. "Moral Luck". in Mortal Questions, Cambridge University Press 1979, 24-38.
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Plato. Republic. transl. Reeve, Indianapolis.
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Robb, C. M. & Archer, A. "Talent, Skill, and Celebrity". Ethical Perspectives 29 (1), 2022, 33-63.
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Stocker, M. "The Schizophrenia of Modern Ethical Theories". The Journal of Philosophy 73 (1976), 453?466.
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Williams, B. A. O.. "Moral Luck". in B. Williams, Moral Luck, Cambridge University Press 1981, pp. 20-39.
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Williams B. A. O. Morality. An Introduction to Ethics. Cambridge University Press 1993.
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