Philosophy & Ethics
Comprehensive Study & Revision Guide
Weeks 2–13 · Lectures and Core Readings
Philosophy & Ethics — Study Guide | Page 1
,How to use this guide
This guide is organised by course topic, roughly following the weekly lectures. Each topic
section contains: (1) the central questions; (2) the key thinkers and their positions; (3) the main
theories, distinctions and arguments, with jargon defined on first use; (4) a short glossary; (5)
the main objections and debates; and (6) memorable examples and quotations you can deploy
in the exam.
At the front you will find a section on the exam format and how answers are marked, taken
directly from the course's exam-preparation slides. At the back you will find likely exam-style
questions with model-answer pointers.
A note: Occasionally a shaded “Context” box adds standard background to aid understanding;
treat those as scaffolding, not examinable course doctrine.
How to use this guide...................................................................................................................2
Exam format and how to revise....................................................................................................5
Structure of the paper............................................................................................................... 5
Sample short questions (from the slides).................................................................................5
Sample essay question (from the slides)..................................................................................5
How to write the essay (the course's own checklist).................................................................5
Marking criteria......................................................................................................................... 5
1. Moral Philosophy and Moral Reasoning...................................................................................6
Central questions..................................................................................................................... 6
The three branches of ethics....................................................................................................6
Formal logic: validity and soundness........................................................................................6
Logical traps............................................................................................................................. 6
Informal logic............................................................................................................................ 6
Thought experiments and moral intuitions................................................................................7
Special moral argument-forms.................................................................................................7
Biases...................................................................................................................................... 7
Key thinkers............................................................................................................................. 7
2. Free Will and Moral Responsibility...........................................................................................8
The central argument (the determinist challenge)....................................................................8
Key terms................................................................................................................................. 8
Varieties of determinism (and their limits).................................................................................8
Does determinism rule out responsibility?................................................................................8
History of the concept (lecture).................................................................................................9
Responsibility for structural and global harm (Iris Marion Young).............................................9
Philosophy & Ethics — Study Guide | Page 2
, Bentham’s reconciliation........................................................................................................... 9
3. The Social Contract and Rawls’s Justice as Fairness............................................................10
Central questions................................................................................................................... 10
Morality as mutual advantage (version 1)...............................................................................10
Critiques: the contract as a tool of oppression........................................................................10
Hobbes and the state of nature..............................................................................................10
Proceduralism and Rawls.......................................................................................................11
Rawls’s principles of justice....................................................................................................11
Limits of the contract method (Wolff)......................................................................................11
Memorable lines..................................................................................................................... 11
4. Consequentialism, Utilitarianism and Effective Altruism.........................................................12
Consequentialism and utilitarianism.......................................................................................12
Bentham................................................................................................................................. 12
Mill’s refinements.................................................................................................................... 12
Objections to consequentialism..............................................................................................12
Singer and Effective Altruism.................................................................................................12
5. Kant and Deontological Ethics...............................................................................................14
What deontology is................................................................................................................. 14
Kant’s critique of utilitarianism................................................................................................14
The good will and acting from duty.........................................................................................14
The Categorical Imperative — First Formulation (Universal Law)...........................................14
The Categorical Imperative — Second Formulation (Humanity).............................................14
O’Neill, “Between Consenting Adults”.....................................................................................15
6. Ethics and Gender (Okin and the family)...............................................................................16
Foundational distinction.......................................................................................................... 16
Equality vs. difference; the ethics of care...............................................................................16
Sexism as structural (Frye).....................................................................................................16
Okin vs. Rawls (the heart of the topic)....................................................................................16
Capitalism, recognition, and inclusive feminism.....................................................................17
7. Markets and Morals (Sandel and Satz)..................................................................................18
The central question............................................................................................................... 18
The case for markets, and the two skeptical replies...............................................................18
Case A — military service (Sandel)........................................................................................18
Case B — surrogacy and the Baby M case (Sandel)..............................................................18
The lecture’s analytic frame....................................................................................................18
Satz on prostitution................................................................................................................. 19
Philosophy & Ethics — Study Guide | Page 3
, 8. The Ethics of Immigration and Refuge...................................................................................20
The framing............................................................................................................................ 20
The case FOR open borders..................................................................................................20
The case FOR closed borders (self-determination)................................................................20
The ethics of refuge................................................................................................................ 21
9. The Ethics of Climate Change...............................................................................................22
Why climate is an ethical, not just a scientific, problem..........................................................22
What climate injustice means.................................................................................................22
Who should pay?.................................................................................................................... 22
Intergenerational justice: duties to future generations............................................................22
Distributing burdens across generations................................................................................22
10. Ethics and Work................................................................................................................... 24
The central claim.................................................................................................................... 24
Method................................................................................................................................... 24
The four goods of work........................................................................................................... 24
The three claims (ascending controversy)..............................................................................24
Mild perfectionism and the libertarian objection......................................................................24
11. Meritocracy and Affirmative Action.......................................................................................26
The meritocratic ideal and its two problems............................................................................26
Three conceptions of merit (and their critiques)......................................................................26
Equality of opportunity (Rawls / Mason).................................................................................26
Young: the myth of merit........................................................................................................ 26
12. Race and Social Justice (Shelby).........................................................................................28
The question.......................................................................................................................... 28
Key moves............................................................................................................................. 28
Cross-cutting themes and the big theory contrast......................................................................29
Consequentialism vs. Kantian deontology (the master template)...........................................29
Recurring threads................................................................................................................... 29
Exam-style questions with model-answer pointers.....................................................................30
Short questions...................................................................................................................... 30
Essay questions..................................................................................................................... 31
Final revision checklist........................................................................................................... 33
Philosophy & Ethics — Study Guide | Page 4
Comprehensive Study & Revision Guide
Weeks 2–13 · Lectures and Core Readings
Philosophy & Ethics — Study Guide | Page 1
,How to use this guide
This guide is organised by course topic, roughly following the weekly lectures. Each topic
section contains: (1) the central questions; (2) the key thinkers and their positions; (3) the main
theories, distinctions and arguments, with jargon defined on first use; (4) a short glossary; (5)
the main objections and debates; and (6) memorable examples and quotations you can deploy
in the exam.
At the front you will find a section on the exam format and how answers are marked, taken
directly from the course's exam-preparation slides. At the back you will find likely exam-style
questions with model-answer pointers.
A note: Occasionally a shaded “Context” box adds standard background to aid understanding;
treat those as scaffolding, not examinable course doctrine.
How to use this guide...................................................................................................................2
Exam format and how to revise....................................................................................................5
Structure of the paper............................................................................................................... 5
Sample short questions (from the slides).................................................................................5
Sample essay question (from the slides)..................................................................................5
How to write the essay (the course's own checklist).................................................................5
Marking criteria......................................................................................................................... 5
1. Moral Philosophy and Moral Reasoning...................................................................................6
Central questions..................................................................................................................... 6
The three branches of ethics....................................................................................................6
Formal logic: validity and soundness........................................................................................6
Logical traps............................................................................................................................. 6
Informal logic............................................................................................................................ 6
Thought experiments and moral intuitions................................................................................7
Special moral argument-forms.................................................................................................7
Biases...................................................................................................................................... 7
Key thinkers............................................................................................................................. 7
2. Free Will and Moral Responsibility...........................................................................................8
The central argument (the determinist challenge)....................................................................8
Key terms................................................................................................................................. 8
Varieties of determinism (and their limits).................................................................................8
Does determinism rule out responsibility?................................................................................8
History of the concept (lecture).................................................................................................9
Responsibility for structural and global harm (Iris Marion Young).............................................9
Philosophy & Ethics — Study Guide | Page 2
, Bentham’s reconciliation........................................................................................................... 9
3. The Social Contract and Rawls’s Justice as Fairness............................................................10
Central questions................................................................................................................... 10
Morality as mutual advantage (version 1)...............................................................................10
Critiques: the contract as a tool of oppression........................................................................10
Hobbes and the state of nature..............................................................................................10
Proceduralism and Rawls.......................................................................................................11
Rawls’s principles of justice....................................................................................................11
Limits of the contract method (Wolff)......................................................................................11
Memorable lines..................................................................................................................... 11
4. Consequentialism, Utilitarianism and Effective Altruism.........................................................12
Consequentialism and utilitarianism.......................................................................................12
Bentham................................................................................................................................. 12
Mill’s refinements.................................................................................................................... 12
Objections to consequentialism..............................................................................................12
Singer and Effective Altruism.................................................................................................12
5. Kant and Deontological Ethics...............................................................................................14
What deontology is................................................................................................................. 14
Kant’s critique of utilitarianism................................................................................................14
The good will and acting from duty.........................................................................................14
The Categorical Imperative — First Formulation (Universal Law)...........................................14
The Categorical Imperative — Second Formulation (Humanity).............................................14
O’Neill, “Between Consenting Adults”.....................................................................................15
6. Ethics and Gender (Okin and the family)...............................................................................16
Foundational distinction.......................................................................................................... 16
Equality vs. difference; the ethics of care...............................................................................16
Sexism as structural (Frye).....................................................................................................16
Okin vs. Rawls (the heart of the topic)....................................................................................16
Capitalism, recognition, and inclusive feminism.....................................................................17
7. Markets and Morals (Sandel and Satz)..................................................................................18
The central question............................................................................................................... 18
The case for markets, and the two skeptical replies...............................................................18
Case A — military service (Sandel)........................................................................................18
Case B — surrogacy and the Baby M case (Sandel)..............................................................18
The lecture’s analytic frame....................................................................................................18
Satz on prostitution................................................................................................................. 19
Philosophy & Ethics — Study Guide | Page 3
, 8. The Ethics of Immigration and Refuge...................................................................................20
The framing............................................................................................................................ 20
The case FOR open borders..................................................................................................20
The case FOR closed borders (self-determination)................................................................20
The ethics of refuge................................................................................................................ 21
9. The Ethics of Climate Change...............................................................................................22
Why climate is an ethical, not just a scientific, problem..........................................................22
What climate injustice means.................................................................................................22
Who should pay?.................................................................................................................... 22
Intergenerational justice: duties to future generations............................................................22
Distributing burdens across generations................................................................................22
10. Ethics and Work................................................................................................................... 24
The central claim.................................................................................................................... 24
Method................................................................................................................................... 24
The four goods of work........................................................................................................... 24
The three claims (ascending controversy)..............................................................................24
Mild perfectionism and the libertarian objection......................................................................24
11. Meritocracy and Affirmative Action.......................................................................................26
The meritocratic ideal and its two problems............................................................................26
Three conceptions of merit (and their critiques)......................................................................26
Equality of opportunity (Rawls / Mason).................................................................................26
Young: the myth of merit........................................................................................................ 26
12. Race and Social Justice (Shelby).........................................................................................28
The question.......................................................................................................................... 28
Key moves............................................................................................................................. 28
Cross-cutting themes and the big theory contrast......................................................................29
Consequentialism vs. Kantian deontology (the master template)...........................................29
Recurring threads................................................................................................................... 29
Exam-style questions with model-answer pointers.....................................................................30
Short questions...................................................................................................................... 30
Essay questions..................................................................................................................... 31
Final revision checklist........................................................................................................... 33
Philosophy & Ethics — Study Guide | Page 4
