How to Survive an Intro to Ethics Course

You've signed up for Introduction to Ethics. What a challenge! I dropped out the first two times I signed up for it, then wound up becoming a professional ethicist. This article will give you tools you need if you want to earn a grade of B or better in the course.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• An open mind.
• A willingness to listen.
• A willingness to read.
• A willingness to write, and to revise what you write.
• Most important: a willingness to think hard.

1. Plato ATTITUDE: Most professional philosophers (your likely instructors) are NOT trying to impose their beliefs on you. It may feel this way at times, but that's probably because we are all very sensitive about the values that we hold. So go in with the attitude that, Okay, this professional has been around the block in this neighborhood a time or two, and is trying to get me to think for myself, not to believe what they happen to believe after years of reflection.
2. PRACTICAL: Take notes. Take notes even on things that you don't understand - perhaps ESPECIALLY when you don't understand what's being said. That way you have something to go back to and think about after class is over. (What I mean is, don't write down: "Then she said something stupid." That will do you no good. But if she says, "Aristotle emphasizes the concept of the good over the concept of the right," and that makes no sense to you, or you don't know what it means, *definitely* write it down, and later you can figure out what it means. Either by consulting your instructor, re-reading, and re-reading, or trying to work it out on paper. Or - dare I say it - by asking me. [e-mail])
3. APPROACH: Think of what is being said, and read (by you), as a way for you to measure your reasons for believing what you do, "against" the reasons that so-called "famous philosophers" have believed what they did (or do, in cases where they're still living). (You do not have to think of it as a "battle against wits," but given this culture, you well may.)
4. LISTENING: The most important thing that Philosophy, as a formal discipline, has to offer, is to enable (ENABLE!) you to learn how to listen to other voices, other viewpoints. Yes, you'll need to ask yourself what *your* reasons are for holding your ground (if you choose to hold it), in cases where you disagree with somebody who has strong reasons that compel you to consider revising your beliefs. (This is why it is so scary, of course. Belief-revision is not a simple psychological matter for anybody, whether you're an infant or are 70 years old.)
5. What is Justice? KNOW: Know at the outset that ethics (or moral philosophy) is traditionally divided into three "levels," if you will. Meta-ethics is most abstract and asks questions like "What is this stuff we call morality really all about, anyway? Self-interest? Obeying God? Trying to maximize happiness?" Normative ethics admits that we do make moral judgments as human beings (Ew! Don't date that creep!), and then says, "How are these ethical concepts related to one another?" (Try comparing a duty to an obligation. Hard stuff, but more "concrete" than asking what morality is all about anyway.) Applied Ethics (the most concrete part) asks questions like, "Should I steal from the office supply bin since I'm underpaid?" (Business Ethics) or, "Which patient should I treat first if I'm confronted by two at the same time?" (Medical Ethics). It's my view that the last category is the hardest, but easier to deal with if you take Intro to Ethics first, which normally contains segments devoted both to theory (Meta-, etc.), and also an applied component (abortion, euthanasia, etc.).
6. A QUICK GUIDE: The three major approaches to ethics are as follows. You're a long way ahead if you memorize these and think about them while you're out jogging or driving. Utilitarianism ("That action is right which maximizes pleasure for the greatest number, or at least minimizes pain"); Deontology ("Act in such a way that you could universalize the maxim of your action for all"); and Virtue Ethics ("What is right is determined by what is good, and what is good is what contributes to [human] flourishing.") Obviously all 3 of these views demand intense discussion, and that's the reason for the course! Ask yourself which of these three viewpoints you lean toward, and WHY. Then enjoy both the classroom experience and, more importantly, the inward journey. It lasts a lifetime. (But see my Tips and Warnings below.)
7. Socrates Drinking Hemlock, Confronting His Mortality (Death) BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL PAY OFF IN THE LONG RUN. In high school, a lot of us think: "Why should I bother with geometry? What does it really matter anyway if I know what the interior angles of a triangle add up to?" With that attitude, you are not going to be scouted after by NASA personnel. But philosophy is even more important. When you're on your death bed, and you wonder: "Should I have spent more time systematically thinking about freedom? About God? About immortality? About morality? Heck, I'm dying here, and I don't know a darn thing about anything," wouldn't this be pathetic?

Tips & Warnings

• You can always avoid discussing ethical values with others if you become a hermit, but you're still inevitably "stuck" with your own beliefs. So there's a sense in which what you'll be discussing in your class is unavoidable for you personally, even if you drop out. (That's what I finally realized, and it frightened me.)
• Always admit, at least to yourself, when you don't understand something.
• The author has practice exams available on line (that'd be me).
• Remember: the goal is to get you to think about your values, and not to change your values. If you just say, "Well, I believe that because my mom taught me that it was right," then since my mom isn't your mom, I have no reason to believe as you do. And at least in some circumstances, we very much want others to understand why we feel and believe the way we do. (Think of extreme cases like having a relative who you discover murdered somebody you loved.)
• Never read philosophy for more than an hour straight without taking some kind of a break to think about what you've read. It's just . . . too much. I often read and then: do dishes, take a walk, feed my baby, take a jog, organize a shelf, make a bed. You can do these things and think about what you read.
• Utilitarianism is associated with Jeremey Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick and Peter Singer (the latter is still at work!).
• Deontology was formulated by Emmanuel (Immanuel) Kant, but has many modern "defenders," if you will.
• Virtue Ethics was first espoused by the Ancient Greeks (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle), but later found a comfortable home in Adam Smith, and today finds expression in the work of Alisdaire McIntyre and yours truly (when properly mixed with Taoism and Buddhism).
• Philosophy is the disclipline from which all Academic work and reflection stems. It is a deep irony that most people only encounter it "formally" once in college, unlike History, Mathematics, English, etc. Why is that? See?! You're already beginning to reflect philosophically!
• Philosophy isn't "life." It can really mess you up if you do it constantly. Very few people can. But: it's a great way to be aware of who you are, of what you believe.
• Never read philosophy for more than an hour straight without taking some kind of a break to think about what you've read. It's just . . . too much. I often read and then: do dishes, take a walk, feed my baby, take a jog, organize a shelf, make a bed. You can do these things and think about what you read.
• You'll never do well in any philosophy course - ethics, metaphysics, intro, or whatever - if you don't in some way rehearse what you think you understand before test day. "But gee, it was so clear in class." A fool's game. Grab a tape recorder, or a friend, or a note-pad (see my article on forming a simple note-pad).