Philosophy 305 - CSUN

Philosophy 305

! Business Ethics andPublic Policy

! Ticket # 18094

Adding the Class

! See me after class to be put on awaiting list.

I need the following info in writing:

Name

Major

Expected graduation date

Course Website

http://www.csun.edu/~jdblair/

Click on the Philosophy 305 link. You’llfind:

! The Syllabus (Read this!)

! Lecture slides

! Study guides

! Etc.

My Info

Jacob Blair

Email: [email protected]

Office: Sierra Tower 535

Office Hour: Fridays 12:30-1:30 pm.

Required Text

Go to universityreaders.com to orderyour Reader for this course.

! click on the “Students Buy Here” buttonon the right side.

Course Requirements:

! Exam 1 (25% of your grade)

! Exam 2 (35% of your grade)

! Take Home Final (40% of your grade)

(Note: I will use “+” and “-” whengrading).

More on the Exams:

! Primarily essay based.

--You will have to demonstrate yourunderstanding of the material by clearlywriting answers to essay questions (length ofyour answers will vary).

--Your grade will be determined by how clear,accurate, and detailed your answers are.

What is Business Ethics?

The study ofargumentsconcerning whatactions are right (orwrong), and whatgeneral principlesshould be followed(or not followed), inthe realm ofbusiness and theworkplace.

Main Topics We’ll Cover

! Corporate Social Responsibility

! Whistleblowing

! Bluffing in business

! Moral issues in advertising and sales

! The environment and economic growth

! Sweatshops

! Employee rights and privacy

! Issues in leadership

Two Primary (and related) Goalsof the Course:

1. Become more familiar with some ofthe major issues in business ethics.

2. Become familiar with and engage inthe basic methodology of philosophy,which is the summary and evaluationof arguments.

What is an Argument?

An argument consists in a conclusion(i.e. that which the arguer wants you tobelieve), and premises (i.e. thereason(s) given for why you shouldbelieve the conclusion)

Two Types of Arguments:

! Deductive

Vs.

! Inductive

Q: What’s the difference?

Deductive Arguments

! A deductive argument is one where thepremise(s) logically guarantee theconclusion. That is, it's impossible forthe conclusion to be false if thepremises are true.

Deductive Arguments

Example:

1. All men are mortal

2. Obama is a man

3. Therefore,Obama is mortal

Inductive Arguments

! An inductive argument is one where thepremise(s) don't logically entail theconclusion. But the truth of thepremises are supposed to make theconclusion likely/probable.

Inductive Arguments

Example:

1. We’veexperienced the sunto rise every 24-hourperiod.

2. Thus, the sun willrise tomorrow.

Critiquing/EvaluatingArguments:

Two primary reasons to reject anargument:

1. One or more of the premises arefalse.

2. The conclusion doesn’t follow fromthe premises.

Critiquing/EvaluatingArguments:

Example:

Argument X:

Premise 1

Premise 2

Therefore, conclusion.

I reject argument X. Premise 1 is false

Critiquing/EvaluatingArguments:

Example:

Argument Y:

Premise 1

Premise 2

Therefore, Conclusion.

I reject argument Y. While the premisesare true, they do not establish the truthof the conclusion

Critiquing/EvaluatingArguments:

! What we don’t want to do is reject anargument because it makes us feel bador uneasy.

! We do want to give reasons for all ofour views.

Class participation andattendance.

! Attendance is not required but highlyrecommended

--merely downloading lecture slides may notbe sufficient

! Participation is required

--ask and answer questions in small and largegroup setting

--no newspapers, solitaire, walkman, etc.

! Participation can help your grade

Two Final Notes:

! You are to make up your own mindconcerning the morality of the issues wediscuss.

! We won't always have clear-cutdefinitive answers to the philosophicalquestions we'll be asking.

For Next Time:

Read:

"Milton Freidman, “The Social

Responsibility of Corporations is to

Increase its Profits”

"Edward Freeman, “The Stakeholder

Theory of the Modern Corporation”

What About You?