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 21
Blum - Virtue and Community
Class 22
Doris - Moral Character, Moral Behavior
Singer - Altruism and Commerce: A Defense of Titmuss Against Arrow
Class 24
Kierkegaard - The Works of Love
Class 26
Cottingham - Partiality, Favouritism, and Morality
Class 27
Blum - Friendship as a Moral Phenomenon
Assignments
Exam 1
Possible Paper Topics
Bibliographical Suggestions for Final Paper
Bibliography/Crediting Sources
Exam 2
Handouts
Handout 1 - Some Reflections on Hobbes, Butler, and Egoism
Handout 2 - Some Basic Definitions About Motivation and "Egoism"
Handout 3 - "Egoism" and "Altruism": Some Definitions in Light of Rachels, Rand, and Maugham
Handout 4 - Projection, Identification, and Altruism (in relation to Anna Freud, "A Form of Altruism")
Handout 5 - Shaun Nichols, "Sparks of Benevolence: The Varied Emotional Responses to Suffering in Others" from Sentimental Rules
Handout 6 - Reciprocity, Cooperation, Trust, and Altruism (esp. related to Held)