MA Ethics of Life and Death
Programme co-ordinator: David Morgans
** Please note that this pathway is closed to new applicants **
Introduction to the Course
Many people who believe that abortion is wrong believe that suicide is morally permissible. Many people who are in favour of mercy-killing for the terminally ill strongly oppose the death penalty for murderers. Can any, or some, or all of these positions be justified by acceptable moral principles? When, if ever, is it morally right to take a human life? Is it usually wrong to take life because life itself is valuable? If so, what makes life itself valuable? Does life have a meaning? Questions like these dominate The Ethics of Life and Death.
This MA introduces you to a flourishing branch of contemporary philosophy - applied ethics - and to some of the metaphysical theories relevant to this branch of the subject. The aims of the course are to bring ethical theories to bear on practices that make us think twice about the permissibility or impermissibility of killing; and to consider questions about the value, meaning and purpose of life.
All of the moral issues taken up in the course are controversial, and we know that many students will be coming to this MA with firm opinions about some of them. We hope that the arguments and theories expounded and discussed in the course will lead people to reappraise their views, even if they decide in the end that they were right. In discussing moral issues we have tried to give a balanced treatment of the arguments, but not by way of a mere inventory of different positions in a debate. Instead, those writing the course material have actually got involved in the debate, developing their own arguments or adapting those to be found in the literature. They have tried to give an impression of the weak points and obscurities in the positions they favour as well as the strengths of the views they oppose. Thus, as you work through the course you should get some impression of how the debate might be continued and how the views endorsed by any of authors could be disputed. The crucial point is that argument is the medium of exchange in this MA. Authors of course material will not merely say how they feel about euthanasia or abortion, as if they were writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper; they will give reasons for the views they hold. They will make explicit the principles they accept and try to exhibit their consequences clearly. We expect students to try to do the same.
What is the MA?
The MA is specifically designed to be taken on a part-time basis over a number of years. It is a distance learning degree scheme, largely based on material prepared by members of the Open University philosophy course team. There is no need for you to visit the University at any stage in your study. However, you will always be very welcome to spend some time here if you would like a period of study in this beautiful part of the world with the full facilities of the university - including your tutors - to hand.
The MA is divided into two parts:The Taught Element.
Students study six modules chosen from the following list:
What is the difference between moral rhetoric and moral argument? Can the death penalty be defended on the basis of the claim that it is an effective deterrent? Is it a decisive objection to capital punishment to say that it does not respect the sanctity of life, or to note that it will sometimes lead to the execution of innocent people? Are there any crimes that can only justly be punished by death? Can the death penalty be decisively rejected on the grounds that it is a 'cruel and unusual punishment'? Does Christianity provide support for one or another view of the death penalty?
Should we accept Kant's judgement that: 'A penalty is imposed justly only if the reason for it is the crime alone'?
What does the examination of actual case histories reveal about the attitudes of doctors and nurses towards euthanasia? Is there a morally significant distinction between active and passive euthanasia: between killing someone and letting her die? Is one just as responsible for failing to prevent harm to others as one is responsible for causing harm to others? Is euthanasia morally equivalent to murder? Can the traditional Roman Catholic 'doctrine of double effect' bring out important differences between the ways in which doctors or nurses may be related to the death of a patient? Does the distinction between 'ordinary' and 'extraordinary' means of treatment throw light on our moral responsibilities towards those with life-threatening illnesses? How should the problem of the allocation of scarce health-care resources influence our thought about euthanasia?
What is the relation between feminism and abortion? How should we respond to the suggestion that since the foetus is a person, and killing a person is murder, abortion is murder? How is it to be decided whether or not we should say that the foetus is a person: are all human beings people? Is there any significant moral distinction between abortion and infanticide? How, if at all, might doctrines of the 'sanctity of life' be relevant to our view of abortion? Does utilitarianism - the view that actions are wrong only in so far as they cause suffering or reduce happiness - throw light on the morality of abortion? Is utilitarianism an acceptable doctrine?
Even if we have to agree that the foetus is a person from the moment of conception does it follow that abortion is morally unacceptable? Can it be argued that there are important respects - perhaps because of the mother's right to control her own body - in which abortion is significantly different from other cases of killing? What light, if any, does a consideration of the virtues throw on the rights and wrongs of abortion? Can the wrongness or permissibility of abortion depend on the age of the woman who has the abortion, the possibility of disabilities in the child, how developed the foetus is? Is child bearing intrinsically worthwhile?
5. The Meaning of Life 1 [MAELD0720]
Are there good reasons for describing life as 'absurd' or 'meaningless'? How should we assess religious answers to questions about the meaning of life? What relevance should the fact that we will all die one day have on our views about the meaning of life? If there is (were) no life after death must we (would we have to) agree that death is a terrible thing? Can the principle of the sanctity of life be defended?
6. The Meaning of Life 2 [MAELD0820]
Can 'self-realization', or 'doing what I desire', provide recipes for the conduct of life? How do questions about the value of human life relate to issues about the lives of non-human animals and the preservation of natural habitats? Can it be said that the proper way to live is to follow Nature? Is it better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied? Are some pleasures more valuable than others? Do Sartre's views about 'bad faith', 'authenticity' and human freedom throw light on the question of the meaning of life? What is the importance of tradition in considering how we should conduct our lives?
7. Philosophy and Life After Death [MAELD0320]
Can any sense be made of the notion of disembodied survival of death? What role does our bodily nature play in our relations with others and in our understanding of what a person is? Is it 'having the same mind' or 'having the same body' that is fundamental to the idea that this is the same person as some earlier individual; and what is the bearing of our answer to that question on the possibility of personal survival of death? Should we agree with Lucretius that if death is the end it must be irrational to fear it; and with Simone Weil that belief in immortality is positively harmful? Is a doctrine of life after death essential for the coherence of theistic belief, and indeed for the coherence of any religious world view?
An introduction to a range of skills that play an important role in postgraduate study.
Apart from Abortion 1 and 2, and The Meaning of Life 1 and 2 - in each of which 1 must be taken before 2 - modules may be studied in any order. In all modules but two (Philosophy and Life After Death and Study Skills) a student starting a module will receive a copy of the module textbook, and a CD with PDF-files of the necessary readings and audio files to accompany them. Students will need to have access to a limited range of additional reading.
Students are strongly encouraged to stay in regular contact with the individual course tutors, who will be available by phone and/or e-mail whenever you encounter any problems with the course material. Assessment for Part One of the MA is on the basis of essays totalling 5000 words for each module. For each of the three modules you take first you submit two essays of around 2500 words each (the better carries twice the weight of the other in arriving at your overall mark for the module); and for each of the remaining three modules you submit one essay of around 5000 words.
The Dissertation.
Students proceed to the dissertation on passing the first part of the MA. This involves the writing of a 20,000-word essay on a theme relevant to the MA programme, under the guidance of a member of the teaching staff.
Diploma and Certificate
Students who pass three of the above modules and decide to proceed no further qualify for the Postgraduate Certificate. Students who pass six of the above modules and decide not to move on to the dissertation qualify for the Postgraduate Diploma. Since fees may be paid by individual module as you progress through the scheme, you may, without the risk of paying for what you don't do, keep your options open on how far you wish to take the course; and if you have a specific interest in particular aspects of the course - for example, in euthanasia and abortion - you may enter the course with the intention of doing only those elements (though you may find you change your mind later!)
Entry requirements
An MA is a postgraduate course, so candidates will normally be expected to have a good first degree, or some equivalent professional experience. While people with a first degree in Philosophy with a particular interest in Applied Ethics should find the MA a useful stepping stone to a research degree in that area, the MA is specifically designed to be accessible to people with no formal background in Philosophy. A degree in any discipline satisfies the basic entry requirements, and certain non-traditional qualifications are also acceptable. In particular, applicants with practical experience - perhaps in medicine or in the ministry or related in some other way to the theme of the MA - might well find this an enormously valuable background for academic study of this kind. Many people whose experience is an ideal preparation for further study in this area suspect they are not qualified to apply. Please contact us to discuss the matter.
You will see on the application form that we ask for two academic references. Please do not be alarmed by this! We appreciate that for many applicants this seems like a daunting request (especially if you have been away from academia for a long time). What we really need is two references telling us about you. If we have any doubts about your ability to succeed on the MA, perhaps because of your non-traditional background, we may ask you to submit a short piece of written work as part of the entry procedure.
