Paper #1 Guideline

New Due Date: the beginning of class on Monday, November 12th, 2012

Due Date: the beginning of class on Monday, November 5th, 2012

Worth: 5% of your overall grade

Assignment: Write an essay on one of the topics below in which you support your opinion with an argument. Papers must be typed, and must be between 400-700 words long. Provide a word count on the first page of the paper. (Most programs like Microsoft Word have automatic word counts.)

Possible Paper Topics (Choose ONE of the following topics)
1. Defend a Theory. Out of the seven ethical theories that we’re studying—moral relativism, divine command theory, natural law theory, utilitarianism, Kant’s ethical theory, Aristotle’s virtue ethics, or Gilligan’s ethics of care—which do you think is best? Why? What are two of the best criticisms that someone might make to that theory? How do you reply to those criticisms to defend this theory? Be sure to fully explain & defend your position.

2. Criticize a Theory. Provide a detailed criticism of one of the seven ethical theories we’ve discussed in class. First, briefly explain the theory, and present what you take to be the best criticism(s) of the theory. Then critically evaluate your criticism(s). That is, consider how someone who supports the theory might respond to your criticisms, and explain why you think these responses are unsuccessful.

3. Moral Realism. Moral realists believe (a) moral claims are objectively true or false. Many moral realists also believe (b) there are no authorities whose decrees make things morally right or wrong. Are these two claims consistent with each other? Be sure to fully explain & defend your answer.

4. Facts, Opinions, & the Hitler Intuition. In class, we’re discussing the “Hitler Intuition”: Many people think that Hitler’s moral beliefs were not just different from ours; they were mistaken. Many use this intuition as evidence against moral relativism, and support for moral realism. Examine this intuition.

-If you agree that it is solid evidence for moral realism, 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 objectively immoral? How is it that Hitler is simply bad to me, but not objectively bad?

5. The Euthyphro Dilemma. The most common criticism of divine command theory is the Euthyphro dilemma: “Is an action good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?” Explain and evaluate this criticism. How is it a criticism of divine command theory? Do you think this is a good or bad criticism of divine command theory? Be sure to fully explain & defend your answer.

6. 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, March 9th).

NOTE: This is not a research paper! I expect you to explain and defend these theories based on our discussions in class. You are not expected to do any outside research. (If you do, however, be sure to cite your sources.)