Ethics – Phil 2 – Spring 2026 – Las Positas College  – Room 2460 – Tu/Thur 11-12:15

Instructor: Eric Gerlach – egerlach@laspositascollege.edu

Office Hours: Tue 12:15 pm, LPC Rm 2460.  If you would like to Zoom, email me for an appointment.

Course Description: An introduction to central ethical ideas and their place in the history of thought and the issues of our world, including virtue, morality, utility, balance, perspective, simplicity, authenticity, freedom, equality, individuality, and altruism.  We will be focusing on the ethical theories of Aristotle, Kant and Mill, with additional insights from Heraclitus, Epicurus, the Stoics, Buddha, Laozi, Confucius, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein and others from Africa, India, Greece, China, the Middle-East and Europe.

Course Material & General Requirements: A) Attend lectures as you B) read the online readings (no paper textbook or reader required), C) participate in weekly group discussions, and D) compete the assignments by the due dates.  Email all assignments and essays to me at egerlach@laspositascollege.edu. Lecture notes can be found on the ethics page of my website, and videos on my YouTube channel.

Class Schedule & Lecture Note Links

Jan 20 – Introduction to Class, Syllabus & Schedule

Jan 22 – Wittgenstein & Thought

Jan 27 – Egypt, Babylon & Balance – Text: Instruction of Ptah-Hotep, pg 41-61

Jan 29 & Feb 3 – Hindus, Jains & Nonviolence (Initial Reflection Due Jan 30)

Feb 5 – Buddha & Interconnection – Text: Buddha’s Dhammapada, pg 1-25 

Feb 10-12 – Heraclitus & Perspective – The Fragments of Heraclitus, pg 84-114

Feb 17-19 – Aristotle, Plato & Ethics – Text: Plato’s Republic Book 4 (1st Quiz Feb 17)

Feb 24-26 – Aristotle & Virtue – Text: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Books 1-3

Mar 3 – Aristotle, Epicurus & Happiness 

Mar 5 – Aristotle, The Stoics & Desire – Text: Marcus Aurelius, Books 1 & 2

Mar 10 – Confucius & Compassion – Text: The Analects of Confucius, pg 13-45

Mar 12 – Confucius, Mozi & Equality – Text: The Analects of Confucius, pg 45-62

Mar 17-24  – Daoism & Simplicity – Text: Laozi’s Dao De Jing, pg 50-135 (1st Essay Mar 15)

Mar 19 – NO CLASS – Flex Day

Mar 26 – Kant & Universals – Text: Kant’s Groundwork… of Morals, pg 1-40 (2nd Quiz Mar 26)

Mar 30 & Apr 2 – NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK

Apr 7-9 – Kant & Morality – Text: Groundwork, pg 41-79

Apr 14-16 – Kant, Mill & Utility – Text: Mill’s Utilitarianism, pg 1-30 (3rd Quiz Apr 16)

Apr 21-23 – Mill, Bentham & Practice – Text: Utilitarianism, pg 31-62 (2nd Essay May 1)

Apr 28-30 – Nietzsche, Individuality & Nihilism – Text: Nietzsche’s On Truth & Lies, pg 1-10

May 5-7 – Sartre, Existentialism & Social Roles

May 12-14 – bell hooks, Ethnicity & Gender (4th Quiz May 14)

May 19-21 – Final Review & Student Presentations

May 26 – FINAL EXAM – 9:30-11:20 am

Assignments: Initial Reflection (10%), Group Discussion & Presentation (10%), 4 Quizzes (4 x 5% = 20%), 2 Essays (2 x 20%), Final Exam (20%).

Initial Reflection, (10% of Final Grade) – Due Friday, Jan 30th – For the first, 2-page reflection, I want you to try to focus your own philosophical beliefs about how ethics works and express these thoughts as simply as possible.  What perspective and ideas on ethics do you bring to the class, and why?  If you have trouble determining your perspective, try reacting to the first lectures. I want you to express the ideas you bring to the class so you can see what does and doesn’t change as we go.

Group Discussion & Presentation (10% of Final Grade) – Due by May 21 – Each week, we will break into small groups of four or five to discuss the ideas and texts we have covered in lecture.  Each group member will take a two minute turn presenting a strength or fault they find with an idea, and group members can reply.  Then one or two volunteers, each from a different group and who have not yet presented to the class, will briefly present the ideas discussed by each group, and a class discussion will follow.  Each student will have a chance to be the presenter, and once everyone has presented, we will continue to engage in small group discussions.  Your grade depends on group participation, and taking your turn as the presenter.

1st Essay, 4 pages, 20% of Final Grade – Due Sunday, March 15th – For the first essay, write a 4 page paper which 1) explains a particular idea we have covered in class, 2) explains the strength or fault you find in the idea, 3) includes at least one example that illustrates the strength or fault, 4) considers possible objections or other points of view, possibly those expressed in your group discussion, and 5) explains how this strength or fault is useful or a problem for dealing with an ethical issue we face in the world today.  Focus on an idea we cover, clearly state and argue for your position with evidence, empathy, and examples from life, history or fiction.  Cite works to support your argument in the body of the text, not in footnotes, as (Author, year), such as (Smith, 2021).  Essays are to be typed, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman, emailed to egerlach@laspositascollege.edu.  Here is a video with my thoughts on how to write a philosophy essay.

2nd Essay, 4 pages, 20% of Final Grade – Due Friday, May 1st -For the second essay, I want you to write a 4 page paper in which you take a side in the ethical debate between Kant and Mill, and between starting with morals and ending with consequences.  While you may find truth on both sides, which one do you wish to argue has the better position, and why?  You are welcome to employ any of the material we have covered.  Make sure to use several examples from real life, and/or hypothetical thought experiments, and anticipate objections and counterexamples of opponents, possibly employing class discussions.

FINAL EXAM – 3rd Essay, 4 pages, 20% of Final Grade – The final exam will consist of four short answer questions, drawing from a list of concepts we have covered. Use the review below to find the central concepts for each subject we have covered. The final exam should take at least a half hour, and notes are not allowed. We will review the concepts which will be in the short list for the exam ahead of time.

Grading Rubric: 100 – This is outstanding work, 90 – This is good work that shows you put thought and time in, but more is needed, 80 – This is on the right path, but clearly needs more, 70 – This is somewhat wrong and off, and 0 – 60 – This is significantly lacking.

Important dates: Jan 30, last day to drop – Mar 2, financial aid deadline – Apr 10, last day to withdraw

Student Learning Outcomes:  Upon completion of this class, students will be able to: 

  1. Apply diverse abstract ethical theories to evaluate contemporary moral challenges.
  2. Effectively participate and express opinions in a group and whole-class setting in a way that is respectful and well thought-through.

Classroom Conduct: The discussion of philosophy requires a respectful exchange of diverse ideas. Students not showing respect to others in the course will be advised by the instructor. After repeated offenses, students will be dismissed from class for the day. Cell phones should be silenced, and electronic devices of any kind should be used only for taking notes. Side conversations while another student or the instructor is talking are disrespectful and not permitted. If you need to arrive late or leave early, please let your instructor know ahead of time if possible. In general both situations should be avoided as they will disrupt your fellow classmates. Unless they are a DSPS accommodation your earpieces should be removed unless they are a DSPS accommodation so that you can be fully present to everyone.

Academic Honesty Statement: Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarists, intentional or inadvertent, will receive a zero on the assignment in question; repeat offenders will get an F for the course and will be subject to college disciplinary action. Students are encouraged to review plagiarism policies in the current BCC catalog.  AI use in place of one’s own written work is considered plagiarism, as it creates writing from sources and dishonestly presents itself as the student’s own authentic work.  Students suspected of AI use will be contacted by the instructor, and asked to explain their work and thinking via in-person or online meetings with the instructor.  Information on attendance and plagiarism policies can be found here.

Information about student rights and responsibilities, student grievance procedures, and standards of student conduct, and non-discrimination policies can be found here.

Disabled Student Program and Services (DSPS) are provided for any enrolled student who has a verified disability that creates an educational limitation that prevents the student from fully benefiting from classes without additional support services or instruction. Please let the instructor know if you require any support services or would like more information about DSPS.

This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Ethics Review & Central Concepts

Wittgenstein: Teaching ethics is impossible, Reductive Oven reducing complex to single element, the lure of the secret cellar, practices in flux, familiars and family resemblances, meaning as public practices with others and things, Break Lever in the train cabin, “It”, “this” & “that”, mixed toolbox, Forms of Life, things variously used, No Private Language or meaning (“Bu bu bu bu”), descriptions as practices & tools, Thread of many fibers, perfect logic as slippery ice, Philosophy as stimulating more thinking, Duck-Rabbit, Ethics like learning Greek & habituation, thus not immediately teachable

Egypt & Babylon: Philosophy as love of wisdom & questioning, ethics as how to treat ourselves & others, Dogmatism & Skepticism, Cosmology as observed elements, Order & Chaos from above and below, City States as gathering sites, experts, cultures, proverbs & laments, participation by property owners, Maat & balance, protecting the weak from the strong, Excess & Deficiency, King-Guided & Heart-Guided individual, Hardjedef & cleaning oneself, building a house and a tomb, Ptahhotep & minimizing pride, talk, judgement, greed, Egyptian wisdom proverbs, Babylonian Dialog of Pessimism between master and servant, Babylonian Theodicy & friends arguing about world as just or unjust

India – Hinduism: 3 paths of worship (ritual, discipline, philosophy), karma, four goals (enlightenment, discipline, pleasure, comfort), Jainism: strivers, tirthankaras, three viewpoints of skepticism (non-one-sided, perspective, maybe), blind men and the elephant, golden crown, mind & not-mind mixing, desire & tranquility, seeds & fruits, monks & nuns, the Leaky Boat, karma as negative, non-violence & food, Buddhism: intent, the Middle Way, laughing Budai, pragmatism & belief, impermanence, the Monkey Mind, Codependent Arising, emptiness & openness, compassion for all sentient beings, opinions follow us, wriggly eels, meditation, gazing at the waterfall, zen koans

Greece – Heraclitus: All in flux like a river, cosmos & logos, wise & experts are still fools, all made of fire, one thunderbolt, wise & dry, three levels (commoners, experts & the truly wise), acting in concert with everything, give & take, most are anxious, kindle mind outward, empires as sandcastles, poets as fools about gods, nature likes to hide, accepting cycles, harmony of opposites, animal differences, Plato: Socrates questions everyone, accepting ignorance, gadfly of Athens, Republic & three organs (head/reason, heart/emotion & stomach/desire), tyrant will be unhappy, noble lie, cave & shadows, Aristotle: three kinds of virtue, animals & rational humans, barbarians & civilized, versus Sappho & beauty in the eye of beholder, thriving beyond happiness, bad and good by situation, habituation & varied situations, three kinds of lives (pleasurable, political & reflective), balancing between too much and too little, courage & moderation, friend as other self, humanity as political animal, Epicurus: egalitarianism, good as pleasure & evil as pain, tranquility, reason & compassion as happiness, pleasantly is wisely, gods do not care about us, problem of evil, death is nothing, Stoicism: Zeno & pot of lentil soup, talking little, acceptance of fate & suffering, three stages of understanding (perception, assent, comprehension), evil as ignorance, little emotion in difficulty, pleasure as dangerous, Epictetus’ leg, Marcus Aurelius

China – Confucius: Warring States Period, lifelong learning, compassion (ren) as central thread, middle way, cultivation, determination & discretion, comparing self to others, no one is perfect, strict with self & easy with others, learning from mistakes, Zigong & criticizing others, outer form & inner intent, civilization vs Daoists, tigers & tyrants, tortoise mansion, distinction in a kingdom, contradicting the prince, learning and thinking, apple & vase, Mozi: universal love, three tests (origin, evidence, practicality) & ghosts, all problems as partiality, can only fight with universality, change in a single generation, war as crimes, hiding from heaven, Mencius: human nature is good, child at the well, loving others & families, sister-in-law drowning, compassion like water, barley on various ground, Xunzi: human nature is evil, effort and environment, looking to elders & cosmos, walking to the ends of the earth, Daoism: wu-wei, doing less is more, the One as all & beyond, Yin & Yang, being like water, opposite perspectives, animal differences, the well frog, the butterfly dream, most try too hard, praying mantis & carriage, gold in the market, doing just enough, Samurai’s three sons, swimming without a boat, board up in the air, judging less, Peng bird, knowing when is enough, monkey trainer, losing horse saves son, seeing cycles, acting like a fool, no rank, ruling without burdening others

Kant: Hume, all truth as assumption, billiard table, pure reason vs experience, categorical imperative, never lie as example of moral, good will has unconditional worth, reason rather than happiness, doing one’s duty, intent rather than results, guy with butcher knife, Williams’ moral self indulgence, I, Robot, Trolley Problem, Arjuna & Antigone

Mill: Epicurus & Bentham, taking the long and social view, felicitous calculus, two sides of maximum happiness vs minimum pain, higher vs baser pleasures, progressive women’s rights, Kant as consequentialist, beasts vs humans, cultivating character, sentient vs rational beings, tranquility and thrills, caring for others as happiness, removing poverty & disease, tackling social problems, sacrificing for others further happiness, immediate expediency vs long term social view, will as active desire, paradox of the bad example, environmental impact, lying to children, Thai Spiderman

Nietzsche: individual vs collective ethics, tree trunk & branches, German pessimism, Schopenhauer & dissolving into the world vs Nietzsche & standing out as individual, tightrope walker taking individual stand between dogmatism & nihilism, group morality as slave morality, risking nihilism to create meaning, truths as worn metaphors, why absolute truth, faith in opposite values, life promoting vs denying, truth & lies intertwined, Kant as seductive, philosophy as personal confession, modern life as artificial & falsified, innocence of philosophers, Ayn Rand: selfishness as virtue, individualism as objectivism, Baudrillard: mass consumerism & seduction, the Hyperreal as stimulation without originality or meaning, fast food, porn & entertainment, more symbolism than significance, drinking soda & commercials

Sartre: Hobbes vs Rousseau, brutal vs noble savages, society as source of evil, excesses of luxury and domination, resist giving up freedom, mutual agreement as general will, minority dissent, obeying force vs care, robber & valuables, Anthropology of inequality, Ice Age development into clans within tribes, sharing & potlatch vs accumulation of stored wealth, Camus’ Stranger, cafe waiter as automaton, racism & antisemitism as bad faith, De Beauvoir: feminism, woman as irrational other, Fanon: Postcolonialism & ethnocentrism, Islam & 1492, Lacan: narcissism & fragmented self, Merleau-Ponty & embodied consciousness, Said: orientalism & West vs Islam & rest, racism & neuroscience, talking & thinking about immediate reactions, bell hooks: feminism & womanism, women as center of village, three waves of feminism, intersectionality & continuous criticism of movements as marginalizing