In this class we will consider whether striving to live the good means that you shouldn’t aim to be as moral as possible. Can a moral saint also be a good friend? Does being a good person mean you can’t also be funny, or a good cook, or just generally weird and interesting? Can being morally good be different from being just all-around good? We’ll ask whether there are more important goals than morality and also think more seriously about the kinds of lives we honestly admire.
Read This:
Interactive Essay: Susan Wolf – “Moral Saints”
Key Concepts:
- Moral saints
- Loving saints vs. rational saints
- Nonmoral virtues
- Wolf’s argument against moral sainthood
Have questions or thoughts about the reading? Post them on PollEverywhere, and upvote any classmates’ responses that you’d like to cover in class. We’ll address the most upvoted responses during the Q&A part of class.
Do This:
- Recommended: Complete lessons 1-6 of How We Argue by Sunday, Sep 22.
Pre-Class Questions
With each day’s reading, you will be given a set of questions to help you check your understanding of the material and prepare for class. Your responses are due on Canvas before class. See the syllabus for grading information. Your top 15 scores of the semester will count toward your final grade.
- In your own words, explain one reason why Susan Wolf rejects moral sainthood as an ideal worth striving for.
- Do you think it’s always important to do the right thing, even when it’s demanding, difficult, or even annoying? Or is it sometimes okay to eat veal, swear under your breath in church to make someone laugh, or even steal from a corporation if you don’t think they’re treating their workers and customers fairly? Explain your reasoning. (If you would like to practice your argument mapping skills, you can give your response in the form of an argument map.)
Living the Good Life
For each class topic, you’ll be given at least one prompt for a longer (~300 word) written reflection. You may write up to two reflections in the first half of the semester and up to two in the second half of the semester. You can also revise and resubmit one reflection for a new grade, within one week after your grade is posted. Your top three scores will count toward your final grade. Any “Living the Good Life” reflections addressing prompts from the Morality unit (“Learn to Live Well” through “Don’t Obsess About Morality”) are due on Canvas by 11:59pm on September 27.
Who is the most interesting and/or most admirable person you know of? Try to learn a bit more about this person’s character and their day-to-day life — for example, if you know them personally, you could have a conversation with them; if they’re a famous celebrity, you could look up one or two in-depth interviews; if they’re a historical figure, you could read up on their personal life. What traits or habits do you notice that would prevent this person from being a “moral saint”, as understood by Susan Wolf? Explain what role, if any, you think these traits or habits play in making this person so interesting or admirable.
