Class 2.1: Introducing Arguments
We have not one, but two big things going on for today's class, so there are two important things you need to do, in order to prepare. The main point of this class will be to introduce the concept of an formal validity, in order to complete our understanding of soundness, the gold standard for arguments, and in order to start to understand why arguments are so important in philosophy. But instead of discussing this only in a very abstract way, in class we are going to focus on how arguments arise in the context of philosophical discussion of an ethical issue. So in order to prepare for class, you need to read the short article by Peter Singer that we will be discussing in class. But you must also view the course video introducing arguments (below). We will continue to introduce concepts and skills about how to use arguments gradually over the following weeks.
Peter Singer
Peter Singer is a professor at Princeton University who has written widely about practical ethics. If you are interested, you can read more about him here and here. His name comes up in the news relatively often, for a philosopher with a university position. He has been one of the influential proponents of ethical vegetarianism, for example, and is the inspiration for a movement known as 'effective altruism' that is influential outside of philosophy.
Famine, Affluence, and Morality.
The reading for class is a very famous article in which Singer argues that we are all morally obligated to give much more of our money away than any of us actually do. He uses one contemporary example - he was originally writing in 1971 - but the points that he makes apply equally well to any refugee crisis, so if it helps, try to think about what he says in terms of what your personal moral obligations are to assist with refugee crises in Syria or elsewhere today.
You can find Singer's article here: Famine, Affluence, and Morality. As you read, pay close attention for the places where he discusses 'the level of marginal utility'. If you don't know what this means, look it up, rather than ignoring it, as it is important in order to understand exactly what Singer is saying. Make sure that you set aside at least an hour to read and re-read Singer's article, even though it is short, to make sure that you follow his argument. At one point in the article, Singer offers a debunking explanation of why most people believe that it is morally permissible not to give money to help the distant needy. Watch out for it, and use your knowledge of dumbfounding from week 1 to help you identify what Singer's explanation is, and why it counts as a debunking explanation.
If you are moved by Singer's arguments, you can donate directly to help refugees from Syria here, here, or here. And GiveWell.org is a well-respected organization that rates charities for their effectiveness, complete with estimates of the (very small) cost of saving one life for each of their top-rated charities. Their top-rated charity is the Against Malaria Foundation, which distributes insecticide-treated mosquito nets in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has had documented effects at reducing the incidence and spread of malaria.
Course Video
The first course video introduced our first concepts about arguments, including the all-important 'gold standard' of soundness. This next video introduces the concepts of validity and formal validity, our other two important concepts for evaluating arguments:
Arguments Handout
You may find it helpful to go back to the course videos whenever you need a reminder about key argument concepts. But you may also find it helpful to review this COURSE ARGUMENTS HANDOUT, which contains the correct definitions of the key terms that we will use in this course. It is pitched at a slightly higher level of difficulty than the videos, so it contains information that you might find helpful but is not strictly speaking necessary for the course.
Something Lighter for a Break
Here is a clip from season 2 of the current NBC comedy 'The Good Place' that connects to more than one of the issues we talked about in class 1.2. You may want to look away before the very end of the clip!
I should note that I disagree strongly with the very first thing that Chidi, the moral philosophy professor, says in this clip.
Handout 2.1
Download Handout 2.1, which will be distributed in class.