PHIL 410A: READING ASSIGNMENTS

Readings should be done BEFORE the first class in the week for which they are assigned. Please consult the discussion questions posted on the Web before doing the readings. Those discussion questions will help you identify the important issues in the readings. The readings will be found in the following sources:

1. Texts. The following texts are available for purchase at the University Book Store: Judith Jarvis Thomson, The Realm of Rights (RR); John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (OL); and John Rawls, Political Liberalism (PL).

2. Class Reader. There is a Class Reader [Referred to as "READER" below] that is also available for purchase at the University Book Store.

3. Electronic Reserve. In order to avoid your having to buy another text and to save on royalties, I have put the two required Berlin essays and the optional Hayek reading on electronic reserve [E-RESERVE].

WEEK #1 (Mar. 31 – April 2): Introduction

READINGS: 1. Isaiah Berlin, "Two Concepts of Liberty", pp. 118-172. E-RESERVE

2. Judith Thomson (RR), Chapters 3 and 4, pp. 79-122.

WEEK #2 (Apr. 7-9): Natural Rights

NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO CLASS ON THURSDAY, APRIL 9.

READINGS: 1. Judith Thomson (RR), pp. 205-217; 225-226; 229-234, 239-288; 348-373. Then read the following selections from Chapter 6: pp. 149-153; 158-163; 170-175.

WEEK #3 (Apr. 14-16): Utilitarian Liberty Rights.

BY MIDNIGHT ON WEDNESDAY, APR. 15: Draft of part (a) of Paper #1 should be posted on the PHIL 410 Paper #1 GoPost site. For more information, see the Web posting for Paper #1.

BY MIDNIGHT ON FRIDAY, APR. 17: Comment on two drafts on the PHIL 410 Paper #1 GoPost site. Use the Paper #1 Peer Review Checklist, which is accessible on the PHIL 410 Web site.

DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON TUESDAY, APR. 21: Final version of Paper #1 turned in to the PHIL 410 electronic dropbox. There is a link to the electronic dropbox on the PHIL 410 Web site. The filename of the paper should begin with your last name.

READINGS: 1. Isaiah Berlin, "John Stuart Mill and the Ends of Life", pp. 173-206. E-RESERVE

2. J.S. Mill, OL, Chaps. 1-2. [NOTE: In Chapter 1, on page 18, line 2, "neither" should be "either". The sentence should read: “A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.”]

WEEK #4 (Apr. 21-23): Liberty and Well-Being

MIDTERM REVIEW QUESTIONS TO BE DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS ON THURSDAY, APRIL 23.

READINGS: 1. J.S. Mill, OL, Chaps. 3-5.

OPTIONAL, NOT REQUIRED: 2. Friedrich A. Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1960), Part I, Chapters 1-3; Part II, Chapter 9. E-RESERVE

OPTIONAL, NOT REQUIRED: 3. Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.; 1999), pp. 170-182. READER pp. 138-144.

WEEK #5 (Apr. 28–30): Social Contract Liberty Rights

DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON WEDNESDAY, APR. 29: Original Position assignment posted on the PHIL 410 GoPost site. For more information on the assignment, see the instructions on the PHIL 410 Web page. This assignment will set the stage for a class field trip behind the Veil of Ignorance to the Original Position on Thurs. Apr. 30. Please read all the posted answers to the assignment on Thursday before coming to class. In class, it will be assumed that everyone is familiar with those postings. To get full credit for the assignment, you must be in class for the discussion, unless your absence is excused.

READINGS: 1. John Rawls, PL, Chapter 1 (partial), pp. 3-28; Chapter 2 (partial), pp. 47-54;

WEEKS #6-7 (May 5-14): The Priority of Liberty Rights, With Special Attention to Freedom of Expression

MIDTERM EXAM IN CLASS ON TUES. MAY 5.

READINGS: 1. John Rawls, PL, Chapter 8 (entire), pp. 289-371.

2. Refresh your memory of Mill's discussion of liberty of thought and discussion (Chapter 2 of OL).

3. Joel Feinberg, "Limits to the Free Expression of Opinion", from Feinberg and Gross, eds., Philosophy of Law, 2nd ed. (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co.; 1980). READER, pp. 3-18.

4. T.M. Scanlon, "A Theory of Freedom of Expression", from Philosophy and Public Affairs, (Winter 1972). READER, pp. 19-41.

[OPTIONAL, NOT REQUIRED] 5. T.M. Scanlon, "Freedom of Expression and Categories of Expression", University of Pittsburgh Law Review 40 (1979). READER, pp. 114-130.

WEEKS #8-9 (May 19-28): Paternalism and Autonomy Rights

NO CLASS ON THURSDAY, MAY 28.

DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON WED., MAY 27: Draft of Part I of term paper should be uploaded to the PHIL 410 Term Paper GoPost site. For more information, see the term paper information posted on the PHIL 410 Web site.

DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON FRIDAY, MAY 29: Comments on two drafts on the PHIL 410 Term Paper GoPost site. Use the Peer Review Checklist on the PHIL 410 Web site.

READINGS: 1. Joel Feinberg, "Legal Paternalism", in Sartorius, ed., Paternalism (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1983). READER, pp. 42-50.

2. Gerald Dworkin, "Paternalism", in Sartorius, ed., Paternalism (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1983). READER, pp. 145-154.

3. Gerald Dworkin, "Paternalism: Some Second Thoughts", in Sartorius, ed., Paternalism. READER, pp. 155-158.

4. Thomas C.Schelling, "Ethics, Law, and the Exercise of Self-Command", in Sterling M. McMurrin, ed., Liberty, Equality, and Law (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1987). READER, pp. 95-113.

5. William J. Talbott, "Weak and Strong Legal Paternalism", excerpt from Human Rights and Human Well-Being. READER pp. 51-94.

6. Ronald Dworkin, Thomas Nagel, Robert Nozick, John Rawls, Thomas Scanlon, and Judith Jarvis Thomson, "The Philosopher's Brief", New York Review of Books (March 27, 1997). READER, pp. 131-137.

7. "The Avuncular State", The Economist (April 8, 2006). READER, pp. 159-168.

WEEK #10 (Jun 2 – Jun 4): Conclusion

DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON TUESDAY, JUNE 2: Complete draft of term paper to be turned in to the PHIL 410 electronic drop box. There is a link to the electronic drop box on the PHIL 410 Web site. The filename should begin with your last name.

IN CLASS ON THURS., JUNE 4: Course Evaluation

READINGS: No Assigned Readings

DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON THURSDAY, JUNE 11: Final version of term paper to be turned in to the PHIL 410 electronic dropbox. There is a link to the electronic dropbox on the PHIL 410 Web site. The filename should begin with your last name. REASONABLE EXTENSIONS OF TIME WILL BE GRANTED. IF POSSIBLE, AN EXTENSION OF TIME SHOULD BE REQUESTED IN ADVANCE OF THE DEADLINE. INCOMPLETES WILL ONLY BE GRANTED IN EXTRAORDINARY CASES.