Final Exam

Just a reminder that the final exam is Wednesday, May 13th in our normal classroom at our normal class time. You will only have 50 minutes to take the test, so be sure to show up on time.

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.

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.

Midterm Reminder

Just a reminder: The midterm is this Friday (March 27th). It's worth 15% of your overall grade, and will cover everything we've done in class so far:

• Evaluating Arguments
  
• Relativism (Herodotus, Benedict, & Nagel readings)
  
• God Ethics (Mortimer & Arthur readings)
• Happy Ethics (Mill & Williams readings)
  
• Kant's Ethics (Kant & Taylor readings)
  

We'll be reviewing for the midterm in class on Wednesday, so I'll be giving you more details about the test then.

BE THERE.

Paper & Midterm Rescheduled

We decided in class to move the due date of the first paper back until Wednesday, March 25th.

Also, we're pushing the midterm back to Friday, March 27th.

Also, here are some tips (one and two) on writing philosophy papers.)

Paper #1 Guidelines

New Due Date: Wednesday, March 11th 25th, 2009

Worth: 5% of your overall grade

Assignment: Write an essay in which you support your opinion with an argument. Papers must be typed, and must be between 300-600 words long. Provide a word count on the first page of the paper. (Most programs like Microsoft Word have automatic word counts.)

Paper Topics (Choose ONE of the following topics)
1. Defend a Theory. Out of the eight ethical theories that we have studied—moral relativism, God ethics (divine command), happy ethics (utilitarianism), Kant's ethical theory, Ross’s Deontology, Aristotle’s virtue ethics, Kohlberg’s moral development, and Gilligan’s ethics of care—which do you think is best? Why? What are some (at least two) of the best objections that someone might make to that theory? How would you reply to those objections to defend this theory? Explain & defend your position.

2. Criticize a Theory. Provide a detailed criticism of one of the eight ethical theories we’ve discussed in class. First, briefly explain the theory, and present what you take to be the best argument in its favor. Then critically evaluate the argument. What are good objections to the argument? Consider how someone who supports the theory might respond to your objections, and explain why these responses are unsuccessful.

3. Facts, Opinions, & the Hitler Intuition. In class, we’ll be discussing the “Hitler Intuition”: Hitler’s actions don’t just seem wrong for you or me; they seem objectively wrong. Many use this intuition to argue against moral relativism, and support the belief that moral claims are fact-based. Examine this intuition.

-If you agree that it is solid evidence for objective morality, explain exactly how this intuition works. What makes it objectively true that Hitler was immoral? What is the basis of your judgment? In other words, what makes moral claims objectively true? Which ethical theory we’ve discussed do you think this supports? Explain and defend all your answers.
-If you do not believe that this intuition is solid evidence for objective morality, you are probably a relativist. Explain why this intuition doesn’t provide enough evidence for the existence of an objective morality. Why is it OK to say that Hitler’s actions weren’t universally bad? How is it that Hitler is simply bad to me, but not objectively bad?

4. Motives vs. Consequences. Which do you think is more important in determining whether an action is morally right or wrong: the consequences of the action (what happens as a result of the action), or the motivations behind the action (the reasons why someone chooses that action over other actions)? Why?

-Describe an ethical theory that we have studied that cares more about the consequences of an action.
-Then describe an ethical theory that we have studied that care more about the motivations of actions.
-In arguing for one side over the other, describe a specific moral dilemma in which these theories would give different decisions based on the action’s consequences vs. its motivations. Be sure to fully explain and defend your position.
[NOTE: You can choose either side, as long as you defend it with a well-reasoned argument.]

5. Choose Your Own Adventure! Write on a topic of your choosing related to some or one of the ethical theories we’ve discussed in class. (Sean must approve your topic by Friday, February 27th.)

Quiz You Once, Shame on Me...

UPDATE: We've moved the quiz back! The first quiz will be held at the beginning of class on Monday, February 16th Wednesday, February 18th. You will have about 25 minutes to take it. The quiz is worth 7.5% of your overall grade.

There will be two sections: the first section is on evaluating arguments, and will look just like the group work on evaluating arguments we did in class last week. There will also be a section of 4 short answer questions on the topic of moral relativism (Are moral claims merely opinions or are they factually based?) These questions will be based on our class discussions of the Herodotus, Ruth Benedict, and Thomas Nagel readings.

Feel free to insult me in the comments for putting you through the terrible ordeal of taking a quiz.

Understanding Args

Here are the answers to the handout on understanding arguments that was assigned as optional extra credit.

1. (P1) Fairdale has the best team.
(C) Fairdale will win the championship

2. (P1) The housing market is depressed.
(P2) Interest rates are low.
(C) It's a good time to buy a home.

3. (P1) China is guilty of extreme human rights abuses.
(P2) China refuses to implement democratic reforms.
(C) The U.S. should refuse to deal with the present Chinese government.

4. (P1) The results of the Persian Gulf War were obviously successful for the U.S. military.
(C) The U. S. military is both capable and competent.

5. (P1) Scientific discoveries are continually debunking religious myths.
(P2) Science provides the only hope for solving the many problems faced by humankind.
(C) Science provides a more accurate view of human life than does religion.

6. (P1) Freedom of speech and expressions are essential to a democratic form of government.
(P2) As soon as we allow some censorship, it won't be long before censorship will be used to silence the opinions critical of the government.
(P3) Once we allow some censorship, we will have no more freedom than the Germans did under Hitler.
(C) We must resist all effort to allow the government to censor entertainment.

7. (P1) I'm very good at my job.
(C) I deserve a raise.

8. (P1) Jesse is one year old.
(P2) Most one-year-olds can walk.
(C) Jesse can walk.

9. (P1) The revocation of the 55 mph speed limit has resulted in an increased number of auto fatalities.
(C) we must alleviate this problem with stricter speed limit enforcement.

10. (P1) The last person we hired from Bayview Tech turned out to be a bad employee.
(C) I'm not willing to hire anybody else from that school again.

11. (P1) Maebe didn't show up for work today.
(P2) Maebe has never missed work unless she was sick.
(C) Maebe is probably sick today.

12. (P1) The United States, as the most powerful nation in the world, has a moral obligation to give assistance to people who are subjected to inhumane treatment.
(P2) The ethnic Albanians were being persecuted in Kosovo.
(C) It was proper for the U.S. to become involved in the air campaign against Kosovo.

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Hat tip: I took some of the examples (with some revisions) from Beth Rosdatter's website , and some (with some revisions) from Jon Young's website .