Select an ethical theory (Cultural Relativism, Utilitarianism, Kant’s Ethics, Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics, Rand’s Ethical Egoism). Explain a criticism of the theory, and defend the theory against that criticism. Or, develop your own criticism of the theory.
I want you to develop one of your own ideas to be the claim, the thesis of the paper. Focus your effort on developing a defense of this thesis. (For example, your thesis could be: The criticism that Utilitarianism is impossible to do is unsuccessful in arguing against Utilitarianism. Then you would spend the paper explaining your reasons why it is an unsuccessful criticism.)
you should write this paper as though you’re explaining your claim to someone who has NOT had this Philosophy class. Your audience will not know the words or phrases that we’ve been using in this class.
That means, you’ll have to explain the philosophy that you’re talking about. So, your paper will probably need to include an explanation of some philosophy, in addition to the defense of your thesis. For example, maybe your claim is about a new criticism of Utilitarianism. Before you can explain your new solution, you’ll need to explain what Utilitarianism is. Since your audience doesn’t know the theory, you have to explain IN DETAIL. This means, you have to say more than what you would when answering a test question for this class. When you’re answering a test question for this class, I am your audience, and I know the phrases and examples that we talk about in class. For this paper, pretend that your audience does not. Every part of the problem or argument must be explained, with examples. You must explain how it all fits together to make a problem or argument. The explanation of the philosophy must be done slowly and clearly, so that every part is included.
On the other hand, this is primarily an argument paper–don’t forget that your focus is on developing and defending your own thesis. So, only discuss the philosophy that is necessary to explaining your thesis. If you’re writing a thesis explaining why you think Utilitarianism is right to insist on impartiality, you don’t have to include a discussion of how Utilitarianism focuses on consequences. Don’t just put in the paper everything we did in one lesson. Only explain whatever philosophy is necessary to understand your thesis, your view.
The rest of the paper is you explaining and defending your thesis. You need to clearly state your thesis and then defend this thesis with evidence. It’s not enough of a defense to simply restate the theory and add “I agree” on the end. You have to give me some ORIGINAL thought explaining why you agree or disagree. You have to defend your claim with your ideas, and this requires some original thought.
the book you need to use is
ISBN 9780078038440
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