BA Philosophy dissertation Outline: © Liba Kaucky 2012 All Rights Reserved. The moral rights of this author have been asserted. Please do not cite or quote in research without the author's written permission. Emailed to supervisor Professor Anthony Price before Consultation Meeting (6th July 2012). Researcher ID: P-2484-2016 URL: https://publons.com/researcher/2202509/liba-kaucky/ ; ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1598-0833
Here's my original outline, prior to the first meeting ie. dissertation consultation July 2012.
The Concept of Empathy in Hume: dissertation outline
Abstract
Introduction: Background / context:
- Briefly referring to influences on Hume and then acknowledging contemporary uses in feminist philosophy of Hume’s passages on sympathy involving what we now term empathy.
- Hume’s ethics outlined
- The passions / reason outlined
- Calm passions
Main body –
Sympathy:
- 18th century definition, philosophical definition of sympathy
- In a variety / cross section of Hume’s writings eg Treatise, Enquiry, Essays etc
- Pivotal point in his ethics
The concept of empathy within Hume’s passages on sympathy, compassion, pity etc. Awareness of potential criticisms eg. cognitivist and how to respond to them from Hume’s point of view
My stance/ conclusion is that Hume is a non-cognitivist with cognitivist elements in his approach and hence he can respond to cognitivist objections. Calm passions and reason enhance each other (virtuous character).
I wish to argue that sympathy is / functions as a calm passion.
Examples of reading material:
Stanford encyclopedia, Internet encyclopedia of philosophy, Hume’s Morality by R. Cohon, Cambridge Companion to Hume edited by Norton & Taylor, Feminist Interpretations of Hume edited by Jacobson: chapters 7 & 8
Examples of Articles:
Carse, A. L. - The Moral Contours of Empathy, Darwall - Empathy, Sympathy, Care, Snow, N.E. – Empathy, Slote, M – Moral Sentimentalism
Questions:
Word count excluding references / bibliography – 7,000?
Dissertation structure? ie. do I divide the main body into chapters and if so, roughly how many? ie. Do I divide my points into shorter chapters or less but longer?
Do I need an abstract (very short) at the beginning of the dissertation?
How does the conclusion differ from an essay conclusion?
What do you expect me to have achieved by the first supervision?
What criteria am I supposed to fulfil in my dissertation?
