Overview
(See the Purdue OWL siteLinks to an external site. for specifics.)
Here is also a link to the LSSC Writing CenterLinks to an external site.. Here you will find access to writing help and tutors. Don't overlook this resource!Our term project will consist of two parts:
- constructing your "moral compass" and
- using this compass to evaluate the morality of a contemporary ethical issue.
Part One: Constructing your Moral Compass
Consider the ethical decision-making systems we've studied (or will study) in Part II of our text.
- Divine Command Theory (DCT)
- Natural Law Theory (NLT)
- Ethical Egoism
- Utilitarianism (Act)
- Kantian Categorical Imperative & Respect for Persons/Principle of Humanity
- The Social Contract
- Ross's Ethics of Prima Facie Duties
- Virtue Ethics
- Feminist Critique and the Ethics of Care
Which of these systems do you find resonate with your own moral values? Which do you think shed light on how you already make moral decisions? Which do you think would expand and strengthen how you already make moral decisions and you should do more to consider their points of view? This is the beginning of expressly constructing your "moral compass."
Your assignment is to select THREE of these ethical systems to blend together into your own personalized decision-making criteria. Our moral compass is never only one way of looking at things; it is always a blending of different, competing considerations. For example, most of us consider some balance between the 'ends' or consequences of our actions against the principles or duties of what we value. This may look like a blending of utilitarian thinking and Kantian deontology for some. But it may look like a blending of Virtue Ethics and Social Contract Theory for others. How you choose to evaluate moral decisions will deeply affect the conclusions you arrive at!
To construct your "moral compass" you will follow these steps:
- Paragraphs 2-4: Research and summarize (in your own words) how EACH of your ethical systems determines what is moral. This should be about one paragraph for each system.
- Paragraph 5: Then consider how these ethical systems work together for you. How will you decide which criteria to give preference to and why?
- Paragraph 6: Consider any pitfalls you need to look out for when applying this blended ethical system. (Where does utilitarian thinking 'go wrong' for example?)
This will give you the basic form of your "moral compass." This will be turned in *first* as a rough draft of your term paper.
Part Two: Applying Your Moral Compass
The second part of your term project consists of researching ONE contemporary ethical issue to discuss and evaluate.
When considering a contemporary topic, think about current events, ethical issue you are passionate about, or an ethical issue you know a lot about or perhaps even encounter in your professional or personal life. It can be an issue you have worked on in the past, as long as most of your research and writing for this paper is new to this class.
If you need help coming up with an idea of an ethical issue, you can begin by taking a look at the following website, but don't feel constrained by this list. This is an opportunity for you to be creative in your thinking and to do something that you are interested in learning more about!
The list below is meant to be evocative rather than comprehensive. It dates from 2006 but many of these issues remain contemporary concerns:Ethical Issues (blatner.com)This part of the assignment should roughly follow this format:
Paragraph 7: Summarize your research on your contemporary issue. What makes this an ethically charged issue? What are the empirical facts that affect the moral considerations? (For example, if discussing capital punishment, you should present the statistics of how it is currently done and where. If discussing abortion, what are the stages of fetal development?)Paragraphs 8 - 10: Application of your moral compass to deciding what is moral in this situation. How would the decision-making criteria you outlined in paragraphs 2 - 4 evaluate the morality of this contemporary issue? (For example, if you include utilitarianism in your moral compass, who would be affected positively and who would be affected negatively in this situation? To the 'ends' justify the means here?) Do this evaluation in consideration of each of your ethical systems in your moral compass.
Paragraph 11: Put it all together. How do these competing consideration balance for you in this particular ethical evaluation? How will you avoid the downfalls considered in paragraph 6? What is your final evaluation of what's "moral" according to your moral compass? This is most likely your conclusion paragraph but you may add another paragraph if needed to just wrap things up.
Now, circle back and write Paragraph 1, your Introduction Paragraph. Tell your reader:
what your contemporary issue is and
which of the ethical systems you intend to use to evaluate the morality of your chosen contemporary issue, and finally
what your conclusion is going to be about the morality of this contemporary issue (this is your thesis.)
Finally, you will need to include a Works Cited Page which will include your sources for your research, both on your contemporary issue and if you did any additional research on the ethical systems you are summarizing and applying. This will need to be in either MLA or APA format.