Reference no: EM132343248

ESSAY TOPICS-SECOND ESSAY (choose one only)

1. Watch the film-clip from The Imitation Game that is located under the Materials/Content/Week4 menus. This filmclip "mirrors" the actual decision that Alan Turing and his team of English/Allied code-breakers faced during World War II. It is estimated that their choice not to directly act upon or reveal that they had broken Nazi encryption codes (e.g., the Enigma machine) reduced World War II by two to four years. Do you think that their utilitarian decision was ethical? Why or why not? Construct an ethically-informed argument that supports your position.

2. Imagine that Louis P. Pojman and Stephen B. Bright (the authors of Chapters 20 & 21 in The Right Thing to Do, respectively) have just watched a version of Redemption: The Stan "Tookie" Williams Story. Construct a meaningful dialogue that has these figures debating the issue of capital punishment. You may setup their dialogue against the backdrop of the film. Make sure that you clearly articulate a position for each figure. In other words, how would each respond to Tookie being put to death?

3. Consider the article by J.J. Charlesworth, "Should the Guggenheim have pulled controversial animal artworks?" After reading the article and reviewing the course material on animal rights, do you think that the creation of such artwork is ethical? Why or why not? Offer an ethical defense for your position.

4. Briefly reflect on the numerous television shows, films, and novels that depict zombies or the undead. From a metaphysical point of view, these beings are deceased, even though they behave like they are alive. Imagine, for one reason or another, that find yourself in a world that is filled with the undead. You, however, still are fully-human. With that being said, several of your closest family members unfortunately have been turned into zombies. In the meantime, you have decided to keep them locked in a barn, because you are not certain what to do with them-after all, they were your closest family members. Rumors also circulate that a possible cure might be found sometime in the future. At this point, do you think you have any moral obligations toward your undead family members? Why or why not? Offer an ethical defense for your position. Hint: At minimum, read Hamish Thompson's essay, "She's Not Your Mother Anymore, She's a Zombie!" (located under "Content" within D2L). You may also want to watch the related video-clip from The Walking Dead-located under the same module.

5. Reflect on the segment that we watched in class from the film The Savages. Using one of the ethical theories that we have covered over the course of the semester, construct an argument that addresses the issue of duties toward ailing parents. In other words, do you think children have a moral obligation to care for an ailing parent under any circumstance (e.g., Alzheimer's, dementia, etc.,)? Construct an ethical argument that supports your position.

6. Utilitarians like Peter Singer find certain practices towards animals (e.g., hunting, eating meat, factory farming, etc.,) unethical. In effect, Singer argues that animals' interests ought to count equally, insofar as they are sentient. If Singer's argument is valid, then we ought to put an end to all such activities. Imagine that Singer and the camera crew for his new primetime show spot you eating at your favorite burger-joint or catch you in the act of hunting or fishing and call you out. Construct a meaningful and civil dialogue between you and Singer that addresses both ethical perspectives. Essays should reflect an understanding of Singer's essay, "All Animals are Equal," (Chapter 15 in The Right Thing to Do).

7. Watch the film-clip from Extreme Measures that is located under the Materials/Content/Week 4 menus. Do you think that Dr. Myrick's research project was ethical? Why or why not? Construct an ethical argument defending your position, while making explicit connections with a specific ethical theory and the course text(s).

8. Legislators in Belgium passed legislation that would legalize euthanasia for sick infants and children. Such a law provides terminally ill children with a legal "right to die." Do you think this type of law is ethical? Why or why not? Explain and defend your position on the issue.

9. In recent years several pharmaceutical companies (e.g., Turing Pharmaceuticals, Mylan, NextSource, etc.,) have been criticized for authorizing significant price increases in life-saving drugs like Daraprim, EpiPen, and Lumostine. Some prices have increased by as much as 5000%. While being attentive to "Heinz's Dilemma" in The Elements of Moral Philosophy, do you think such decisions to radically increase the price of life-saving drugs are ethical? Why or why not? Explain and defend your position on the issue.

GUIDELINES FOR ESSAYS:

Papers should be no less than four full-pages in length (excluding cover and works cited pages). In addition, they should be typed using 12 point font, include a name, title, and be doubled-spaced.

Proper grammar and mechanics are extremely important, insofar as they add to the clarity of your argument(s)-however, essays that contain an excessive number of grammatical and semantic errors will receive a significant grade reduction. Avoid using online references like blogs, Wikipedia, and heavily-biased sources which generally are not appropriate for college-level work.

Additionally, plagiarism will not be tolerated (per the course policy), so make certain that your essays conform to a standard like MLA, APA, or The Chicago Manual of Style. In fact, plagiarized papers may be submitted to M State's Academic Integrity Tracker. That said, multiple drafts may be submitted to the Turnitin Folder (located under the Assessments/Assignments tabs within D2L) to avoid this issue by generating an Originality Report or by using the Match Overview tool.

Problematic areas flagged in Match Overview and/or the Originality Report (if any) need to be revised, if not properly cited. In a related way, final submissions that score 30% or more in Match Overview or the Originality Report will earn no higher than a grade of "C". Submissions also need to be uploaded in a standardized and searchable file format (i.e., docx, doc, rtf, etc.,).

Attachment:- Paper - GUIDELINES FOR ESSAYS.rar