Sample Syllabus: Freedom and Responsibility Course ... - Philosophy
Sample Syllabus: Freedom and Responsibility Course ... - Philosophy
Sample Syllabus: Freedom and Responsibility Course ... - Philosophy
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<strong>Sample</strong> <strong>Syllabus</strong>: <strong>Freedom</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Responsibility</strong><strong>Course</strong> Description: We conceive our ourselves as freely acting <strong>and</strong> making our choices, but alsobelieve that we are part of the law-governed natural order. Is our conception of ourselves as freeagents compatible with the idea that our behavior is determined by natural laws? If it is notcompatible, must we ab<strong>and</strong>on the on the notion that people are responsible for their actions? In thisupper-division ten-week course, we will consider a number of proposed answers to these questionsdrawn from historical <strong>and</strong> contemporary sources.<strong>Course</strong> Requirements:Two 4-page papers on topics provided by the instructorOne 8-page term paper on a topic developed by the student inconsultation with the instructorSection 1: Historical BackgroundWeek 1: IntroductionReading:Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, selectionsWeek 2: Classical Compatibilism <strong>and</strong> IncompatibilismReadings:Hobbes, On Liberty <strong>and</strong> Necessity, selectionsReid, Essays on the Active Powers, selectionsSection 2: Contemporary Accounts of <strong>Freedom</strong>Week 3: The Consequence ArgumentReadings:Van Inwagen, “An Argument for Incompatibilism”Lewis, “Are We Free to Break the Laws?”Week 4: Structural Accounts of <strong>Freedom</strong>Readings:Dretske, “The Metaphysics of <strong>Freedom</strong>”Frankfurt, “<strong>Freedom</strong> of the Will <strong>and</strong> the Concept of a Person”Week 5: LibertarianismReading:Kane, The Significance of Free Will, selectionsWeek 6: <strong>Freedom</strong> <strong>and</strong> our Self-conceptionReadings:Bok, “<strong>Freedom</strong> <strong>and</strong> Practical Reason”Albritton, “<strong>Freedom</strong> of Will <strong>and</strong> <strong>Freedom</strong> of Action”
Section 3: Contemporary Accounts of <strong>Responsibility</strong>Week 7: <strong>Responsibility</strong> Without Alternative PossibilitiesReadings:Smart, “Freewill, Praise <strong>and</strong> Blame”Frankfurt, “Alternate Possibilities <strong>and</strong> Moral <strong>Responsibility</strong>”Week 8: The Reactive Account of <strong>Responsibility</strong>Readings:Strawson, “<strong>Freedom</strong> <strong>and</strong> Resentment”Wallace, <strong>Responsibility</strong> <strong>and</strong> the Moral Sentiments, selectionsWeek 9: Incompatibilism about <strong>Responsibility</strong>Readings:Pereboom, ““Living without Free Will”G. Strawson, “The Impossibility of Moral <strong>Responsibility</strong>”Week 10: <strong>Responsibility</strong> <strong>and</strong> RelationshipsReading:Scanlon, “Blame”
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