Welcome back and some indications of readings

Dear all,

 

Welcome back and hope you all had a nice Xmas/New Year.  I know you are all handing in essays at the moment, but it might be worthwhile when you have finished to start reading for the new semester.  Here’s what I’ll be starting with: Continue reading "Welcome back and some indications of readings"

PHi3001 Social Mobility, John Rawls, Sandel

The Guardian began an article from last week in this way:

 

David Cameron has conceded that there was insufficient social mobility in British society and said it was the job of the government to raise the aspirations of people from poor backgrounds to get top jobs in public life.

 

Cameron is responding to the criticisms of an ex-PM, John Major, Continue reading "PHi3001 Social Mobility, John Rawls, Sandel"

Phi2003 Goldenballs

Having spoken about the Prisoners’ Dilemma, a few people have brought my attention to the quiz Goldenballs. For example, this email:

 

I was thinking about the prisoner dilemma in relation to rational egoism you were talking about  in the lecture on friday and it reminded me of this game show called “Golden Balls”. Theres a pretty interesting clip here that presents an alternative moral dilemma and method of attaining the desire of money.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0qjK3TWZE8. Just thought you might find it interesting.
This game show is obviously based Continue reading "Phi2003 Goldenballs"

PHi3001 Sceptics and might is right

Sceptics are resistant and if they want to bite the bullet and avoid a normative agenda then the claim that might is right is hard to derail. However, they — the sceptics — often cannot resist a claim about the promotion of the interests of a specific class and implicitly assert a normative agenda.

 

Next week, I want to start with a tutorial on paternalism. Read Berlin (available in blackboard) and then think about these berlin tutorial questions.  Above all, think about a government with the power to choose what you wear and which job you do. Why shouldn’t it have this power? Answers, puzzles and comments can be posted into the comments/replies below.  You only need to log in with your normal university username.

PHI2003 Lecture 1 and next week

Today was an introduction that was perhaps less structured than I normally am, but it is good to get off with a discussion rather than a mere one way passing of information.  Next week, as you know, I’m off at a conference so the lecture will be rearranged for later in the term. However, have a look at the questions and the tutorial on cannibalism.  The crime is interesting because it involves killing for survival so is both necessary and abhorrent. It really does test our intuitions and leaves us somewhat conflicted.  Read the first few chapters of Hobbes’s Leviathan and then answer the questions from seminar 1.  When you’ve done that reply below with some of your own thoughts.