Aristotle, Ethics (Books 8 and 9) – provided by professor in class

1. Course Description

Philosophy of society seeks to critically examine the nature of community and its relation to the good and happiness of human individuals. What is community? What generates and sustains it? How might it be different from other kinds of social interaction and contact? What is the relationship between community and its members as individuals? Is community necessary for humans to achieve fulfillment, the good life, or happiness? What are the implications of such questions for how we think about human rights, freedom, responsibility, justice, and friendship? Philosophy of society, which overlaps with moral and political philosophy, seeks not only to assess what logically coherent and plausible answers one might give to such questions, but seeks to arrive at a systematically coherent view regarding how we ought to think about these questions.

2. Course Structure, Topics, and Course Objectives

“Friendship also seems to hold cities together, and lawgivers seem to be more concerned about it than about justice. . . . For when people are friends justice is unnecessary, but when they are just they need friendship as well” – Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics, 1155a22-27)

PART I: FRIENDSHIP

The first half of the course will be devoted to reflecting on the nature of friendship. Most of us claim to have friends. Most of us would agree that friends are important to our lives. But what is required for two people to be considered friends? Just how important is friendship to human life? How might the bond of friendship relate to community? We will address these questions in the context of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle’s treatment of them in his Nicomachean Ethics. His account is challenging and has influenced many thinkers in Western intellectual history. What is friendship? What makes the difference between long lasting vs. short-lived friendships? How is friendship different from other kinds of relationships? Do humans need friendships? If so, for what is it needed? What kind of friendship is the most important? We will also apply Aristotle's understanding of friendship to contemporary questions regarding the nature and value of Internet or cyber relationships.

PART II: COMMUNITY

Having discussed the nature of friendship we will move on to consider its implications for the philosophical analysis of community. The general question we will attempt to answer here is this. How does Aristotle’s understanding of friendship illuminate the nature of community? Our primary text for this portion of the course will be Mary Rousseau’s Community: the Tie that Binds (1991). Rousseau distinguishes between two different but apparently incompatible views of community. Interestingly enough both are based on Aristotle's view of friendship. According to the first of these views of community, human persons are viewed as naturally isolated individuals who are bound together only by social contracts or agreements that are motivated by self-interest and personal advantage. According to the other, human persons are viewed as beings sharing a natural connection to each other, but which is further developed by altruistically motivated good will.

PEDAGOGICAL STRUCTURE: The course will be conducted as a combination of discussion, questioning, and lecture.

CLASS OBJECTIVES

The most general goal of the class is to cultivate further a habit of critical inquiry, reflection, and reasoning that was initiated in Introduction to Philosophical Problems. The mode of inquiry is philosophical and thus involves examining some of our basic beliefs about the world and ourselves. In short, we are on a journey to discover and analyze “presuppositions.” In addition to examining the presuppositions of others, we want ultimately to examine our own presuppositions so that our journey is one of self-discovery. The result will be an enlargement and deepening of one’s own perspective.

The more specific objectives of the class are as follows:

· Develop a basic understanding of Aristotle's view of friendship.

· Be able to critically apply Aristotle’s understanding of friendship to the possibility of “Internet friendship” and your own life through the development of one new friendship with someone on campus whom you have not met prior to this semester. (See below for details on this).

· Critically engage, in terms of consistency and plausibility, Mary Rousseau's argument for a particular view of community based on Aristotelian friendship, as well as her criticisms of opposing views.

· Recognize the crucial moral and metaphysical presuppositions that form the basis of social contract theory and communitarian theories of society (the two main philosophies of society to be evaluated in this course).

· Write clear and well-argued papers that accurately engage the readings and class material.

3. Assignments, Grading, and Student Responsibilities

The criteria for assessing your progress toward the class goals are also an important part of the course. I have to make determinations about how well you are doing and have done with respect to the class goals. Your grade is based on such determinations.

OVERVIEW OF ASSIGNMENTS and GRADING

3 three-page papers: 45%

Final: 20%

In Class Participation: 15%

Aristotle Quiz: 10%

Friendship Experiment/Weekly Journal: 10%

All assignments will have a point value. There will be a total of 500 points available in the class. Final grade will be based on the following percentile scale: A (94%-100%), A- (90%-93%), B+ (88%-89%), B (84%-87%), B- (80%-83%), etc.

FRIENDSHIP EXPERIMENT & WEEKLY JOURNAL

One of the assignments of this course is that within the first two weeks of class you make a new “friend” on campus. The challenge in this experiment will be to find someone, make the “friendship” last for the entire semester, and be in the position at the end of the semester of being able to justify the claim, “This person is my friend.” This assignment counts toward a portion of your grade and is necessary for you to complete other assignments in class. In particular, in your journal entries you will frequently provide an account of the initiation, development, or – if applicable - termination of your friendship. It is crucial that you take this assignment seriously and get to work on it as soon as possible. It may not be easy to accomplish.

Here are the rules everyone must follow: (1) The person whom you befriend must be someone you have not previously met, though they may be a friend of an existing friend. (2) You must initiate the relationship. (3) You must not reveal to the other person that he or she is part of an experiment. Nor are you permitted to reveal to anyone this person knows that he or she is part of an experiment. (4) If the “friendship” must be terminated, you must explain in your journal why this happened and then move on and try to establish another one. (5) The person cannot be another student in the class. There are no maximal limits as to how much time you spend with this person. But you should try to work your way up to spending at least nine hours a week of one-on-one time with the person. There is no restriction on whether the person is male or female.

JOURNAL

You must keep a journal for this class. The journal should be in a bound notebook with no loose papers. No huge binders please. Since you will be turning in the journal once a week, you should have two notebooks designated as a journal entry book for this class. Each week you must use this journal to respond to a question I give you in class. Many times your entries will be about developments in the friendship experiment. This assignment will be graded as a minus, check, or plus depending on how you do. At the end it will be given a grade value. I have no limited as to how much you may write, but it must be at least a page each time. I will collect these typically on a Thursday. Please make sure your name is on the

Here is the format you should follow. At the upper right, indicate the following:

NAME

DATE

JOURNAL ENTRY #

TOPIC/QUESTION

THE THREE PAPERS

There are three papers in this course. Papers must be 3-4 pages in length, unless otherwise indicated. The papers are not research papers. It is assumed that you have done the reading necessary to write the paper. The papers are argument papers. You are presenting a position (thesis) and providing reasons (argument) to the reader to suppose that what you say is true. In each case, you will be doing this with reference to some question or position taken up in the readings or class discussions. Papers should be properly referenced. You may use any accepted style of reference you like (e.g., endnotes, parenthetical).

It is crucial that we work together to ensure progress on all written work. For this reason you will have the option to submit a rewrite of one or your first two papers, preferably the first one. I also strongly suggest that each time you write a short outline before you write your paper. In the long run this will save you time and typically result in a better paper. Unfortunately, time constraints make it impossible for me to read entire rough drafts of papers prior to submission. But I do encourage all students to discuss their paper outlines with me in person or by e-mail prior to submitting them. This is my way of offering assistance in advance of grading material you submit. But don’t wait until the last minute to do this.

Further details on papers will be discussed in class. For other helpful suggestions on writing a philosophy paper, I recommend James Pryor's essay Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper . This paper is available on-line by clicking on the link supplied here on the class website version of this syllabus.

Paper Grading

Papers are graded on the basis of their clarity, cogency in reasoning, and accuracy in exposition of the philosophical views and arguments of others. Below are some general criteria that you should keep in mind when writing papers for this class.

A Paper: Demonstrates a superior grasp of ideas, arguments, or theories it discusses, presents very good, clear, and thoughtful argument.

B Paper: Demonstrates a good grasp of ideas, arguments, or theories it discusses, presents an argument that exhibits good reasoning.

C Paper: Demonstrates a very limited understanding of ideas, arguments, or theories it discusses, mixed with a significant number of incorrect claims, and presents weak arguments.

D Paper: Demonstrates significant misunderstandings of factual matters, uses poor logic or fallacious reasoning (if any) to argue points (e.g., merely makes a series of unconnected assertions).

F Paper: No paper submitted, a paper that commits plagiarism, a paper that presents no argumentation.

Some Further Technical Specifications

Grammatical errors may also play a role in determining paper grades, especially if the errors are consistent and distracting. Always use spell check AND proof read your paper before you turn it in. Papers must be typed or produced by a quality printer in a standard 12pt font (e.g., CG times, times new roman). Your paper must be stapled. Deviations from these standards may result in your paper being marked down. Late papers will not be accepted, unless professor has been notified prior and has given permission. The written work you submit in this class must be your original work and prepared for this particular class. Plagiarism will minimally result in an automatic "F" for the paper and the course. If you have any questions about your use of sources, please discuss it with me in advance of the paper submission deadline.

ARISTOTLE QUIZ

There will be a quiz on Aristotle (tentatively scheduled for Thursday, February 8). The quiz will test your knowledge of Aristotle’s view on friendship. The quiz should take about half the class period. Study questions and handouts will be available on the class website to help you prepare for this quiz.

PARTICIPATION

Your presence and active participation in the class will contribute significantly to your success in the class. It is important that you avoid excessive absence and tardiness. Although I do not penalize for absences as such, absences and tardiness will nonetheless negatively affect your participation grade and overall work in the class. If you are not present, you are obviously missing classroom lecture and discussion, and others will miss out on your contribution to the course. If you anticipate missing more than a week's worth of classes due to sport-related commitments, you should consider withdrawing from the class. Everyone is wholly responsible for material and assignments missed due to absence or tardiness. In the event that you are unable to attend class, please contact me at your earliest convenience, in person, by phone, or e-mail. I will be more than happy to supply you with any information you have missed due to absence.

Participation is important to keep the class active and enthusiastic. It is also important for enhancing your over all performance in the class. There will be plenty of opportunities to work in group-settings. In some instances you will select the questions you would like to pursue on a given day in class. Effective participation also demands that all of us respect the learning environment and not be a distraction when others are speaking or engaged in group-activities.

FINAL EXAM: There will be a final exam in this course. Details will be announced at a later time.

OTHER HELPFUL STUDY SUGGESTIONS

The course will demand a good deal of your time, not merely in the way of reading but in the way of thinking and writing. It is crucial that you keep up on the readings, which though not excessive in length for the most part, may be challenging in content. You should expect to read material more than once to get a proper understanding. Be ready to discuss the readings when you come to class. Feel free to come by for an office visit to discuss concepts that you are having a difficult time understanding or if you are struck with some insight into the readings or course. I will also make available handouts and study questions periodically. These handouts will be posted on the course website. These should help bring into focus the main points and arguments in the readings.

4. Course Calendar (Tentative)

Week 1: Introduction

16 (T): Class Introduction

18 (TH): Film

Week 2: What is Friendship?

23 (T): Adler reading (pp. 69-108)

25 (TH): Aristotle, Ethics 8.i-8.v (pp. 258-267), 9.v (pp. 296-297)

Week 3: Does Friendship Require Equality?

30 (T): Aristotle (continuation of the nature of friendship)

FEBRUARY

1 (TH): Ethics, 8.vi-viii, 8xii (pp. 264-273, 278-281)

Week 4: What is the Source of Conflicts in Friendship?

6 (T): Ethics, 8.xiii-xiv, 9.i-iii (pp. 281-285-295)

8 (TH): Exam on Aristotle

Week 5: FILM WEEK #1

13 (T): FILM

15 (TH): FILM

Week 6: Can there be Internet Friendships?

20 (T): Discussion: Friendship and the Internet

22 (TH): Discussion: Friendship and the Internet PAPER #1 DUE

Week 7: February 23-March 4: NO CLASSES

Week 8: Friendship, Community, and Living Well

MARCH

6 (T): Ethics, 8.i, 9.ix-9.xii (pp. 258, 303-311) – necessity of friendship

8 (TH): Rousseau, Community, chapter 1 (Also Ethics, 8.ix-xi (pp. 273-278))

Week 9: What is Community?

13 (T): Community, chapter 1

15 (TH): Community, chapters 1 and 2

Week 10: Ontological and Psychological Loneliness

20 (T): Community, chapter 2

22 (TH): Possibly No Class

Week 11: A Critique of Social Contract Theory

27 (T): Community, chapter 2 PAPER #2 DUE

29 (TH): Community, chapter 3

Week 12: The Externalization and Growth of Community

APRIL

3 (T): Community, chapter 3

5 (TH): Community, chapter 4 (through pg. 76)

Week 13: Film Week #2

10 (T): FILM

12 (TH): FILM

Week 14: Must Community be Grounded in a Transcendent Reality?

17 (T): Community, Chapter 4 (pp. 76-85), Chapter 5

29 (TH): Community, Chapter 5 PAPER #3 DUE

Week 15: Isn’t it Just an Ideal?

24 (T): Community, Chapter 8

26 (TH): Community, Chapter 8 and Epilogue LAST DAY TO SUBMIT REWRITES

May 1 – Last Day of Class

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE:

Philosophy 205B, Monday, May 7, 1:00-3:30pm

Philosophy 205C, Saturday, May 5, 1:00-3:30pm