Semester Ethics Course condensed into 22mins (Part 1 of 2)

I won’t spam you or share your email address with anyone.

This is a philosophy video lecture that compresses a course that normally takes 15 weeks into just one video. Or really, it only manages to condense half of that course into 22 minutes.

What is the morally right thing to do? Is there some moral law that applies to everyone, or is morality relative in some way? And what’s so good about morality anyway? To answer these questions, we read Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Hume, Bentham, Locke, Kant, Nietzsche, Nozick, Singer, O’Neill and others. This is an introductory level philosophy course. Students do not need any prior experience with philosophy.

[vouserdelegado]

02:29 - Utilitarianism: This ethical theory, introduced by Jeremy Bentham, states that actions should be based on producing the greatest overall balance of pleasure minus pain. It focuses on the consequences of actions and treats pleasure and pain as the ultimate moral factors.

06:35 - Thought Experiment: Robert Nozick's thought experiment involves an experience machine that can provide any desired experience. It challenges the idea that pleasure alone is the sole determinant of moral value, highlighting the importance of other aspects such as control, genuine experiences, and interpersonal relationships.

10:48 - Criticisms of Utilitarianism: H.J. McCloskey presents a counter-example to utilitarianism using a scenario where a sheriff must frame an innocent person to prevent a riot. This demonstrates a conflict between utilitarian calculations and commonly held moral intuitions, suggesting limitations to the theory.

18:26 - Kant's Moral Theory (Deontology): Immanuel Kant's deontological theory focuses on the intentions (maxims) behind actions rather than their consequences. The moral permissibility of an action is determined by whether its maxim can be universally accepted, irrespective of the outcome.

29:07 - Aristotle's Moral Theory (Eudaimonia): Aristotle argues that human beings have a unique purpose or function and that achieving eudaimonia (flourishing or fulfillment) is the ultimate goal. Eudaimonia is attained through the exercise of virtues and realizing one's potential as a rational being.

You’re welcome! 😊

[MM-eixv]

This is AMAZING!!
Please don't stop making these videos, I major in mathematics
I used to be interested in philosophy but I stopped reading some time ago
This is really interesting for people like me, outside the humanities field but also interested to have a basic knowledge in it
Thank you so much!!
Also you had me questioning some of my life choices back there 😂

[seavaliente]

I’m a biology major planning on switching to philosophy. I’ve read some of Nietzsche and Kant, but have quite a scattered knowledge of other prevailing ethical viewpoints. This is extremely helpful in getting my foot in the door.

*update* I've decided to pursue a neuroscience major and philosophy minor. Thanks for all of your input. Made me laugh.

[NoPlotArmor]

Bruh- is this guy writing backwards the whole time?!

[jasonluis]

Is it unethical to condense introduction to ethics in un 25 mins? 🤔

[kshitizsingh]

Great Summary of the concepts involved! I've really never seen anyone who could explain the salient features of utilitarianism so succinctly.

You should analyse the morality of promising the entire course in one video and taking two videos to do it. Definitely violated a few maxims 😋

[Paraselene_Tao]

Nozick's Experience Machine always bothered me because when you we're in it, how could we know we're not *actually making friends, *actually being the person we want to be, or *actually doing things (ie things like controlling our own lives). This "*actually" part of our experiences would necessarily be a part of the Experience Machine's job.

And if I woke up from this life and I realized "Jesse Hall" was all a dream that "real I" (who I can't remember the name of right now) had in an Experience Machine, then I would simply thank whoever or whatever made the Experience Machine, and I'd probably play again without any regrets: Amor Fati.

Plus, if I did wake up from the machine, then it wouldn't answer the following question, "Is this the actual reality, or am I still in another Experience Machine?" How many levels of simulation can there be? Much like Inception.

I can't be the only person who's gone down this trail of thought. Whether or not it's all a dream, I don't worry too much. It was all a dream worth having.

----

I love Peter Singer's paper and his overall point. I feel like he wants to make heroes of us all. It's the right thing to do.

I need to read or look up what Singer feels about socialism, taxes, and government in general. Aren't taxes a major way for me to support the common good of mankind? Socialism of any type would necessarily build the best safety nets for all mankind? The right use of small, efficient, decentralized government would necessarily be the best case for all mankind? Singer must go over these issues.

My taxes ought to go towards a socialist, small, efficient, decentralized government which includes the right amount of protection of kids from drowning in shallow ponds.

[estercabrera]

awh man, totally bummed to see that this is a recent post bc i was lookin fwd to immediately making my way thru pt 2 haha ;_; hope to see it soon!

[debrathompson]

I tried to comment on your video about Peter Singer’s essay, and was disappointed to discover that some viewers had spoiled that opportunity for the rest of us. It took a couple of months and some additional reading before I could no longer accept the immorality of my relative affluence. I’m beginning to address that and I thank you Prof. Kaplan for introducing me to the ideas of Peter Singer. Watching your videos has increased my curiosity about philosophy. It might become my pastime of choice when I retire.

[Josiah-vesu]

9:38 this is without a doubt one of the more important points of the whole semester, I'm glad it wasn't cut in the 22 minute condensed version 😂

[henryviii]

I am simple, when Jeffery Kaplan posts- I click.

[joebrandau]

bruhh dont stop posting great quality and great style

[kidsteach]

Imagine this: Should the mayor of a neighboring town, have sent firefighters and paramedics to Sodom and Gomorrah?

[kbwotxb]

The knowledge density of your video is astoundingly good. Even at 1x speed i also needed a pause to start this. Thanks!

[K_F_fox]

I've been pulling up philosophy videos on YouTube for a few months now. I've been pulling up basso profondo singers for maybe a fortnight.

I'm pretty sure YouTube thinks you're related to singer-songwriter Avi Kaplan. But, whatever algorithmic glitch tilted this video in my direction, I'm glad to be your newest subscriber as of a minute ago.

[AvoirJoseph]

Only thing I'm mindblown is how you wrote those in reverse, that's talent!

[johnsalquist]

Thank you for this! Waiting for part 2 I started going through your catalogue of videos... subscribed!

[cottontail]

Its cute that Aristotle named his philosophy after his son. I hope there isnt some unwholesome reason why.

[JackVogel]

Kants theory feels like something that only matters in, well, theory.
If people were brutally honest with their intentions then sure, judgement could fall on something other than their actions.
This is not the case though, and even if it were, there would be no way to tell in any case.
I can see there being grey areas based on the situation, but overall, I think actions speak much much louder than intentions, at least to everyone but the person acting.

[jackerylel]

The experience machine is a wrong analogy. He does not address that the reason people dont pick the machine is because the "pain" of knowing your experience is fake is greater than any pleasure it could produce. Yet im sure there are some, and maybe many, that would pick the machine willingly. Perhaps because their lives are so painful that living a "fake" life would still seem better. Thus, experience machine doesn't contradict utilitarianism :)