Elmhurst College Ethics Quality of Life Essay

Overview

• watch the 90-minute documentary Awake the film or http://awakethefilm.org/watch.php. The film will give you a better basis for understanding Whyte's article "On resilient parasitisms." The reason I have connected this essay to utilitarianism is that it points to how "the greatest good for the greatest number" and assertions about one kind of "quality of life" can become an argument for justifying violations of human rights. It also allows us to question rule utilitarianism by asking, "Who makes the rules?"
• Read and annotate Whyte 113-115; 120-128. I am not requiring that you read the entire article, but I added titles to sections and still highlighted points, so you could decide for yourself if you wanted to read more. You may want to write about these sections for additional participation or extra-credit.
• Writing Prompt: Describe one of the 3 ways that settle colonialism reconciles its cognitive dissonance. Be sure to include at least one quote. Illustrate Whyte’s point with an example from the film, Awake.