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Moopheus

Here are some links on animal ethics:

• Vegetarians Still Love the Smell of Bacon
• David Foster Wallace: Consider the Lobster
• How to Cut Back on Meat Slowly
• What Is The Meatrix?
  
• Animal Research (Peter Singer's Sometimes OK with It!)
• Peter Singer on Michael Vick & Dog Fighting
  
• Audio Interview with Peter Singer
• Michael Pollan's "An Animal's Place"
• Is Worrying About the Ethics of Your Diet Elitist?
• Huge List of Resources on the Moral Status of Animals

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Peter Singer

Ron Paul Interview
Bob Barr Interview

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Paper #2 Guidelines

Due Date: The beginning of class on Monday, May 11th, 2009

Worth: 15% of your final grade

Assignment: Write an argumentative essay on the topic below. Papers must be typed, and must be between 600-1200 words long. Provide a word count on the first page of the paper. (Most programs like Microsoft Word & WordPerfect have automatic word counts.)

Topic: Explain and defend your definition of “person” as it relates to morality.

(1) First, briefly explain and critically evaluate the different definitions of “person” that we have discussed in class. Be sure to explain each definition offered by Mary Anne Warren, Stephen Schwarz, James Rachels (his account of a biographical life), and Roger Scruton.

(2) Second, explain how each of these authors uses their definition of “person” to attempt to settle the particular ethical debate he or she wrote about. (Warren on abortion, Schwarz on abortion, Rachels on euthanasia, and Scruton on animal ethics).

(3) Third, explain your definition of “person”: do you agree with one of these authors’ definitions, or do you have one of your own?

(4) Fourth, explain the solution that your definition of “person” gives to the ethical debates of abortion, euthanasia, and animal ethics.

When considering your definition of “person,” be sure to answer the following questions: Which living creatures are persons, and which living creatures are not persons? Do you believe that you need to be a “person” in the moral sense in order to have moral rights (in particular, the right to not be killed and the right to not suffer unnecessarily)? Can someone have moral rights before they have moral duties? Be sure to fully explain and philosophically defend each of your answers.

Youth In Asia

Ali G's Take on Euthanasia

[More on euthanasia]

Group Presentations: 11:00 Class

Here are the group assignments for the 11:00 a.m. class. If you're not in a group yet, let me know as soon as possible so we can get you in one.

Team Stem Cells (1st on Monday, 5/4/09)
Alex, Chris M., Ebony, Kim, Nichelle

Team Death Penalty (2nd on Monday, 5/4/09)
Christina, Karolina, Kyle B., Shanta, Tom

Team Homosexuality (3rd on Monday, 5/4/09)
Autumn, Mallory, Meghan, Nicole, Shardé

Team Pornography (1st on Wednesday, 5/6/09)
Amanda, Chris K., Diane, Jamie, Kevin, Tom B.

Team Steroids (2nd on Wednesday, 5/6/09)
Lisa, Mark, Nick, Shane, Spencer, Steve

Team Cosmetic Surgery (1st on Friday, 5/8/09)
Bernadette, Danielle, Justin, Kyle W., Rebecca

Team Wal-Mart (2nd on Friday, 5/8/09)
Alaina, Brooke, Gladys, Jess, Liz

Also, I mentioned this in class, but just in case...

Attendance is mandatory for the group presentations on Monday (5/4/09), Wednesday (5/6/09), and Friday (5/8/09). It's the only time I'll be a stickler for it. Basically, I want you to show respect for the other groups presenting.

If you don't attend on either the days your group isn't presenting (and your absence isn't excused), your own personal presentation grade will drop. Each day you don't attend will lower your grade by a full letter grade.

One last thing: be sure to keep the presentations under 15 minutes. A 10-minute presentation is ideal, so we can have time for a short question-and-answer session afterward.

Group Presentations: 10:00 class

Here are the group assignments for the 10:00 a.m. class. If you're not in a group yet, let me know as soon as possible so we can get you in one.

Team Pornography (1st on Monday, 5/4/09)
Ashley, Casondra, Jessica, Juanita, Kristine, Zach

Team Stem Cells (2nd on Monday, 5/4/09)
Antonio, Aubrey, Jeremiah, Shaun, Vyvyan

Team Prostitution (1st on Wednesday, 5/6/09)
Casey, Chelsea, Dan, Jennifer, Lindsay, Stephen L.

Team Torture (2nd on Wednesday, 5/8/09)
Alex, Ashton, Chris, Ralph, Steve P., Yousef

Team Steroids (1st on Friday, 5/8/09)
Frank, Hasan, Joe A., Joe K., Mike, Tiana

Team Death Penalty (2nd on Friday, 5/8/09)
Andrew, Bill, Brittany G., Brittany S., Monique, Tim

Also, I mentioned this in class, but just in case...

Attendance is mandatory for the group presentations on Monday (5/4/09), Wednesday (5/6/09), and Friday (5/8/09). It's the only time I'll be a stickler for it. Basically, I want you to show respect for the other groups presenting.

If you don't attend on either the days your group isn't presenting (and your absence isn't excused), your own personal presentation grade will drop. Each day you don't attend will lower your grade by a full letter grade.

One last thing: be sure to keep the presentations under 15 minutes. A 10-minute presentation is ideal, so we can have time for a short question-and-answer session afterward.

Group Presentations: 9:00 class

Here are the group assignments for the 9:00 a.m. class. If you're not in a group yet, let me know as soon as possible so we can get you in one.

Team Social Contract (1st on Monday, 5/4/09)
Angeleitha, Britné, Chris, Christina, Christine, Kyle

Team Taoism (2nd on Monday, 5/4/09)
Amanda, Danielle, Dave, Duong, Lynda, Rob

Team Death Penalty (1st on Wednesday, 5/6/09)
Ahmad, Khalid, Joe, Rachel, Raquel, Taylor

Team Steroids (1st on Friday, 5/8/09)
Alex, Clark, Jim, Kevin, Scott, Steve C.

Team Pornography (2nd on Friday, 5/8/09)
Aeisha, Bora, Chaurne, Jocelyn, Kavonya, Maria

Also, I mentioned this in class, but just in case...

Attendance is mandatory for the group presentations on Monday (5/4/09), Wednesday (5/6/09), and Friday (5/8/09). It's the only time I'll be a stickler for it. Basically, I want you to show respect for the other groups presenting.

If you don't attend on either the days your group isn't presenting (and your absence isn't excused), your own personal presentation grade will drop. Each day you don't attend will lower your grade by a full letter grade.

One last thing: be sure to keep the presentations under 15 minutes. A 10-minute presentation is ideal, so we can have time for a short question-and-answer session afterwards.

Team Implants

Here are some links on the ethics of cosmetic surgery:

• The rise of cosmetic surgery.
• Is cosmetic surgery getting in nature's way?
• Feminism, science, and liberty of breast implants.
• A feminist perspective on cosmetic surgery.
  
• The case against bodily perfection.
• The uneasy connection between cosmetic surgery and racial identity.
  
• The backlash against cosmetic vagina surgery.
• Want a better brain? Try neurocosmetic surgery!
  
• If you're in the military, then you get free cosmetic surgery!
  
• Does gender reassignment surgery reinforce sexist stereotypes?
  
• The dangers of sex reassignment surgery.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Alex Kuczynski
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

Team Taoism

Here are some links:

• Two advanced overviews (one and two) of Taoism (SEP, IEP)
• Two articles (one and two) on Taoism's founder Laozi (SEP, IEP)
• Two articles (one and two) on Zhuangzi (SEP, IEP)
  
• A simpler overview of Taoism (AskAsia.org)
• A simpler overview of Taoist ethics (BBC)
  

Team Social Contract

First, you should read the section on Economic and Social Justice that starts on page 461 in our "Do the Right Thing" textbook. I recommend specifically the article by John Rawls that begins on page 464. Also, here are some links.

• Two Detailed Overviews (one and two) of Social Contract Theory (SEP, IEP)
• An Advanced Overview of John Rawls's Version (SEP)
• Simpler Intro to Rawls's Theory of Justice (Jan Garrett)
• Radio Show on John Rawls (Philosophy Talk)
• Rawls's "Original Position" (SEP)
• Behind Rawls's Veil of Ignorance (Lingua Franca)
  

Team Homosexuality

First, you should check out the section of our Do the Right Thing textbook on homosexuality, which begins on page 607.

Also, here are some links and a video:

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Article on Homosexuality
Why the Religious Are Against Gay Marriage (Slate)
The Claims of Nature (Reason)
Gays and Genes (New York Review of Books)
Gay Marriage Email Debate (Slate)
Slippery Slope Args Against Gay Marriage Suck! (Slate)

Team Wal-Mart

Here are some links on the ethics of Wal-Mart:

• Is Wal-Mart good for the working class? Here's a great debate between an economist who says yes and an activist who says no.
• How did Wal-Mart become the biggest retailer? Some point to Sam Walton's big idea that lowering prices would increase total sales and lead to higher profits. But another important development was how Wal-Mart streamlined its inventory process.
  
• Yes, Wal-Mart has low prices, and apparently the prices at other stores also go down in the long run when a Wal-Mart comes to town.
• Here's an animated map of the growth of Wal-Mart across America.
  
• Here are many of the common criticisms of Wal-Mart.
  
• Beware of false dilemmas! This isn't a zero-sum game: Wal-Mart doesn't have to raise its prices to raise its wages.
• Here's the full episode of South Park about a "Wall-Mart" coming to town.

Team Porn

First, you should check out the section on censorship and porn in our Do the Right Thing textbook, which begins on page 513.

Also, here are some links:

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Porn & Free Speech
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Porn & Feminism
Can Feminism & Porn Coexist? (Bitch Magazine)
Exorcising Pornography (1985 Boston Review)
Exchange: MacKinnon & Dworkin (New York Review of Books)
In Praise of Porn (Reason)

Team Death Penalty

First, you should read the section on the death penalty in the "Do the Right Thing" textbook. This includes the articles by Louis Pojman and Hugo Adam Bedau on pages 361-383.

Also, here are some links:

• Here's an encyclopedia of philosophy article on the death penalty.
• Here's a large collection of resources on the ethics of capital punishment. I mean, wow.
• What about the financial cost of the death penalty? Although it's common sense to think that keeping a criminal in prison for life would cost more than putting her to death, many studies suggest that the opposite is true. The additional legal battles in death penalty cases may cost more than a life sentence.
• Finally, here's a nice article on measuring the reliability of the justice system. How often do courts convict the wrong person?

Team Torture

Here are some links:

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Article on Torture
New: Justice Department's Torture Policy Under Bush
New: "But We Used It To Train Our Soldiers"
New: The U.S. Should Close Its Torture School
The Dark Art of Interrogation (Atlantic Monthly)
Torture at Abu Ghraib (New Yorker)
How Much Torture is OK? (Reason)
A "Never Torture" Policy is Absurd (Weekly Standard)
Should We Care How Intelligence Is Gathered? (Atlantic Monthly)

Team Steroids

Here are some links:

An Unfair Advantage (Center of Applied Ethics)
In Defense of Steroids (Reason)
The Overhyped Harm of Steroids (National Review)
Don't Believe the Hype (Reason)
The Steroid Wars (New Yorker)
Yes, Steroids Enhance, But So Does Steak (Slate)
HGH: No Side Effects, But it Doesn't Work (Slate)
Remember, THG Was Legal and Not Banned by B'ball (Slate)

Team Prostitution

Here are some links on prostitution:

Feminism & Prostitution (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Radio Show on Morality of Prostitution (Philosophy Talk: check the additional links at the bottom of this page)
Why Is Prostitution Illegal? (Slate)
So Why Is Porn Legal? (Slate)
Legalize It, Already! (Reason)
Prostitution in America and Europe (Atlantic Monthly)
Sex Trafficking Around the World (NY Review of Books)
It Helps Marriages! (Times of London)
Utilitarians for Hookers? (National Review)
Criticism of the Utilitarian Arg (National Review)

Team Stem Cells

First, for research on stem cells, you should check out the section of our Do the Right Thing textbook on fetal tissue transplants (pages 303-328). Here are some links on stem cell research:

Ethics of Stem-Cell Research (SEP)

Wikipedia Entry on Stem Cell Controversy
A Moral Defense of Stem-Cell Research (Boston Review)
New Technique that Doesn't Destroy Embryos? (New York Times)
[Clarification (NY Times) Quelling the Hype (National Review)]
Even Newer Technique
Will Stem-Cell Research Help? (National Review)
Selling Alternatives Short (National Review)
What About Adult Stem Cells? (Weekly Standard)
What Pro-Lifers are Missing in the Stem-Cell Debate (Slate)
Embryo Ethics (Boston Globe)

If you're into the issue of cloning, you should check out the 3 articles on cloning in our Vice & Virtue textbook (pages 421-462), as well as Shannon Smith's article on cloning in our Do the Right Thing textbook (pages 349-360). Here are some links on cloning:

Overview of Cloning Debate
Science of Cloning (Human Genome Project)
Email Debate on Cloning (Slate)
Human Clones: Why Not? (Slate)
UN Urges Ban on Cloning (Weekly Review)
Confusion over Cloning (New York Review of Books)

Just Right

Here is a trio of short audio interviews with philosophers talking about Aristotle's virtue ethics. All three interviews come from the "Philosophy Bites" podcast.

• Aristotle's ethics
  
  
• Aristotle on happiness
  
  
• Virtues