Egoism and Altruism
Syllabus | Readings | Assignments | Handouts
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Readings
Class 1
Plato - Republic (II)
Class 2
Hobbes - Leviathan (VIII) | Butler - Five Sermons Preached at the Rolls Chapel
Class 3
Kropotkin - Mutual Aid Amongst Ourselves
Class 5
Rachels - Psychological Egoism
Class 6
Rand - For the New Intellectual
Biddle - Introducing the Objective Standard
Class 9
Rachels - Ethical Egoism
Class 10
Freud - A Form of Altruism
Class 11
Spelman - Changing the Subject: On Making Your Suffering Mine
Class 17
Nichols - Sparks of Benevolence: The Varied Emotional Responses to Suffering in Others
Class 19
Held - The Grounds for Social Trust
Class 20
Singer - Altruism and Commerce: A Defense of Titmuss against Arrow
Healy - Last Best Gifts
Class 22
Blum - Virtue and Community
Class 23
Doris - Moral Character, Moral Behavior
Class 25
Kierkegaard - The Works of Love
Coffin - The Heart Is a Little to the Left
Class 26
Cottingham - Partiality, Favouritism, and Morality
Assignments
Exam 1
Possible Paper Topics
Handouts
Handout 1 - Some Reflections on Hobbes, Butler, and Egoism
Handout 2 - Some Basic Definitions About Motivation and "Egoism"
Handout 3 - Projection, Identification, and Altruism
Handout 4 - Evolutionary Theory & Altruism
Handout 5 - Shaun Nichols, "Sparks of Benevolence: The Varied Emotional Responses to Suffering in Others" from Sentimental Rules
Handout 6 - Shaun Nichols, "Sparks of Benevolence: The Varied Emotional Responses to Suffering in Others" from Sentimental Rules [Part II]
Handout 7 - Reciprocity, Cooperation, Trust, and Altruism (esp. related to Held)