Genealogies of Morals

(Philosophy 340A)

Fall, 2001

In the Tanakh, how does the divine origin of morality contribute to its justification? Would the Ten Commandments be genuine moral commands if they were just discovered in the wilderness, rather than handed down by God? Are the answers to these questions different in the Christian tradition? (min. 1200 words)

Draft due 9/7. Final version due 9/17.

Second Short Paper

Choose two of the figures from Unit Two. Imagine that they are present at the execution of a man who turned himself in for the murder and confessed his guilt. Write a dialogue in which these figures discuss some of the following topics: (1) why society punishes murderers, (2) whether it is good that society punish murderers, (3) whether murder is actually "evil," (4) what could have led this person to turn himself in, and (5) whether he was "good" to turn himself in. (min. 1200 words)

Draft due 10/17. Final version due 10/29.

Third Short Paper

Analyze one of the texts from the first two units of the course (i.e., between Moses and Kant) from the standpoint of Darwin, Freud, or Nietzsche. (min 1200 words.)

Draft Due 11/30. Final version due 12/7.

Final Paper

The topic of the final paper is completely up to you, as long as it has some relation to the material we have covered in this course. You may make use of portions of one of the shorter papers in preparing your final paper. (min 2400 words.)

Final Paper Proposal due 11/12.

Final Paper Due 12/14.