PHIL 230A, 433A course review.

The topic of electives came up recently among discussions with my fellow third year Physiology students. One of the hot topics was PHIL 433. This post is dedicated to the two ethics electives I've taken.

PHIL 230A Introduction to Moral Theory - MORAL & POLI I 

Theories of obligation and value; moral reasoning; normative ethics, descriptive ethics and meta-ethics. Readings in classic and contemporary texts. 

This course is eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading. To determine whether you can take this course for Credit/D/Fail grading, visit the Credit/D/Fail website. You must register in the course before you can select the Credit/D/Fail grading option. 

Credits: 3 

On my second day of classes at UBC, I stumbled into IKB 182 for Introduction to Moral Theory. The previous year, I had found a video of a Harvard lecture, containing material that would eventually find its way into Michael Sandel's series entitled "Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do?" (http://youtu.be/kBdfcR-8hEY). It seems that Ethical Philosophy is a cornerstone course in Harvard, and one of the best attended. In my first term at UBC, I was taking a break from the study of basic science, seeking instead to gain understanding of general scholarly thought, whether in mathematics, literature, or philosophy.

I quickly realized that I had no clue what Philosophy really was. I quickly did some research to put Ethics in context. I found that Philosophy is broken into four key loosely related fields:

1. Epistemology: The construction of a framework for the understanding of truth and reason.
2. Metaphysics: The study of the reality, existence, time, and purpose. Questions such as "who are we, really?" and "why do we exist?"
3. Ethics: The study of morality and its applications to human acts and behaviour. Questions such as "what do we ought to do?"
4. Aesthetics: The study of the origins and perception of beauty.

In the first half of the course, we studied a number of less widely accepted moral theories (egoism, divine command, cultural relativism, natural law theory). In the second half of the course, we studied more established theories (consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics, and pluralism). The discussion of each topic entailed an introduction of the theory and its applications, and evaluation of the theory, including arguments for and against it. The course thus enables students to think critically about the limits of ethical theories.

I have found that, even years later, I still consider what I learned in this class when I discuss ethical issues. It did more than provide a grab bag of frameworks, it was my introduction to philosophy, argument, and logical thought. I came to understand that philosophy is not just about "thinking about thinking" or "thinking about things very hard," but rather was a complex framework of logical reason, an analytical system for the evaluation of abstract ideas. I found PHIL 230 fascinating, and through interesting discussions made contacts in the class from many different backgrounds.

PHIL 433A Bio-Medical Ethics - BIOMEDICAL ETHIC 

Moral problems arising in the health sciences, especially in medicine but also in biology, psychology, and social work. Topics include abortion, death and euthanasia, genetic engineering, behaviour modification, compulsory treatment, experimentation with human beings and animals, and the relationship between professionals and their patients, subjects or clients. No philosophical background is required. 

This course is eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading. To determine whether you can take this course for Credit/D/Fail grading, visit the Credit/D/Fail website. You must register in the course before you can select the Credit/D/Fail grading option. 

Credits: 3 

As with many courses in an applied field of arts theory, this course is divided into two clear parts. We first discussed the ethical theory, principally covering topics in consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics, pluralism, and social contract theory. We then applied such theory to the following topics: (1) euthanasia and physician directed suicide, (2) right to refuse treatment, (3) abortion, (4) 2-tier healthcare system, (5) allocation of scarce resources, (6) alternative medicine, and (7) neuroethics and cognitive enhancers.

Having taken PHIL 230A, I found the first half of the course a relaxing refresher. It allowed me to ease my way back into moral philosophy by considering these theories a second time. A previous course in either ethics or logic/critical thinking/argument is useful, but not a necessity. The introduction is certainly sufficient either way. The second half is where we got to sink our teeth into key issues, topics which Physiology students (and students studying medical science in general) will be fascinated by.

My instructor was Dr. Rana Ahmad, a post-doctoral fellow and an expert in the field of biomedical and scientific ethics. Although she used lecture slides through the whole course, she taught in an open, and discussion-oriented way, and made the course enjoyable, fascinating, and exciting. We used a textbook called "Debating Health Care Ethics" by Smolkin, Bourgeois, and Findler. This book is largely written in a conversational, scripted-debate format, which made it much easier to read than most textbooks, and conveyed its methods very clearly.

Exams were mostly essay-based, with the emphasis on a student's ability to form and communicate sound philosophical arguments grounded in concepts of moral theory. The result was the course was not incredibly time-consuming, but was highly rewarding and informative nonetheless.

In summary

Whether it's metaphysics or morals, philosophy is a topic in which we as humans as intrinsically fascinated. It deals in questions which we consider, consciously or not, every day of our lives. Philosophy as a field is also a teacher, one which guides us by principles of logical thought. It is the construction of a framework by which to comprehend the fabric of our being. Courses such as PHIL 230A and 433A are a fascinating look at classically constructed frameworks for understanding our own moral convictions. Some believe that these moral questions have no true answer. But, whether we go on to become scientists, doctors, politicians, or industrial/corporate workers, it is the consideration of such concerns which is our great teacher.