Teaching Ethics with Three Philosophical Novels

by Michael Boylan

Overview

This book offers a unique method for teaching ethics and social/political philosophy by combining primary texts and resource material along with three philosophical novels so that students can apply the abstract principles to real-life situations. Boylan provides a preface to introduce instructors in how to effectively put together a course in ethics using fiction. A sample syllabus and sample assignments are provided.

Students often turn-off when confronted with abstract ethical principles, alone. This book allows interaction with philosophical novels that provide real-life situations that mirrors applying normative principles to lived experience. Students will be drawn into this realism and their engagement with the material will be significantly enhanced. This is an innovative textbook for teachers and students of general philosophy, ethics, business ethics, social and political philosophy, as well as students of literature and philosophy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319857305
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	08/12/2018
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2017
Pages:	731
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Michael Boylan (Ph.D. University of Chicago, Philosophy; M.A. University of Chicago, English Literature) is Professor of Philosophy at Marymount University. He is the author of 22 books in Philosophy spanning Ethics and Social/Political Philosophy to Philosophy of Science and to Philosophy and Literature. He is also the author of 135 articles on the same. Boylan is also the author of 6 published novels, a professionally produced play, two books of poetry and scores of short stories. In the practical world Boylan has served on political advisory committees at the national and international level.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Using Fiction to teach Philosophical Ethics.- Part One: A very short textbook on ethics with primary readings.- Chapter One: First Order Metaethical Principles: Boylan’s Philosophical Work on Ethics and Personhood Theory.- Chapter Two: Virtue Ethics with selections from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics.- Chapter Three: Utilitarianism with a selection from Mill’s Utilitarianism.- Chapter Four: Deontology with a selection from Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.- Part Two: The Novels.- Chapter Five: Rainbow Curve .- Chapter Six: To the Promised Land .- Chapter Seven: Naked Reverse.- Appendix: Sample Syllabus and Paper Rubric.