What did you get out of the book?
How will it help you as a teacher?
What were some of your favorite quotes you can use when teaching?
JUST ONE PAGE LONG

Contemporary Moral Problems Final Exam Fall 2020 Online Semester
Part 1.  Short Answer.  In a sentence or two, respond to the following questions.
1. Describe one of the main issues raised by moral relativism.
2. Name three different varieties of moral relativism.
3. Describe the thesis of Emotivism.  Do you see a problem with it?  Describe the problem.
4. Describe the difference between consequentialism and nonconsequentialism.
5. Define the concept “person” in ethics.  What makes it a key concept in ethics?
6. Define “Virtue Ethics.”  What makes virtue ethics different from either consequentialism or nonconsequentialism?
7. In the abortion issue, what is the one question that apparently must be resolved before taking a position?
8. Define Euthanasia.  Briefly describe why the concept of “consent” is so central this this question.
9. In the argument over whether or not healthcare is a right, describe the two main positions put forward on either side of the question.
10. What is the name of the ecological study published in 1972, which created a political commotion?     The next four questions concern this study.
a) What was the thesis of the study?
b) Define “carrying capacity.”
c) Define “sustainability.”
d) Define “overshoot.”
Part 2. Essay Section.  Below are three questions.  Pick one and respond in 200 words or so, about a page.
1. Socrates said that “the unexamined life is not worthy to be lived for a human being.”  That is essentially the argument in chapter one of Doing Ethics.  Do you think the book makes a good argument?  Why, or why not?
2. Of the questions we looked at this semester, which one do you think is the most pressing moral question of our time?  And why?
3. What is a right?  Do you think people have rights?  What are our rights based on?  Can you give a coherent defense of the idea of rights?

1. What does Logic study?
2.  What is the difference between an argument and a non-argument?
3. What is so special about statements, in contrast to other kinds of expressions?
4. Describe the standard of truth on which both categorical and propositional logic rest.
5. What is a category?
6. Name the two main branches of logic.
7. Describe the fundamental principle of each branch of logic.
8. Give an example of an argument that is deductive, and one that is inductive.
9.  Define the concept of ‘validity.’  What kinds of arguments are valid or invalid?
10. Define the concept of ‘strength.’  What kinds of arguments are either strong or weak?
11. Define ‘Soundness’ and ‘Cogency.’
12. Why is it possible to have a valid argument with false premises?
13. List the four standard form categorical propositions.
14. Draw the Venn Diagrams for each of the four standard form categorical propositions.
15. Here are two categorical propositions.    A: No A are B        O: Some A are not B.
On the Aristotelian standpoint, are these two propositions consistent?   On the Boolean standpoint, are these two propositions consistent?
16.  Here is a statement in Propositional Logic.  Construct a truth table to show all the possible truth values this statement can have.
If (A or not B) then B.     (Remember to write this out using the symbolism for the logical connectors because I am unable to do it here.)
17. Here is an argument in Propositional Logic.  Construct a truth table to test for validity.
If juvenile killers are as responsible for their crimes as adults, then execution is a justifiable punishment.
Juvenile killers are not as responsible for their crimes as adults.
Therefore execution is not a justifiable punishment.
Symbolize the argument on a single line, and construct the truth table.  (Note, it should be symbolized like this, but with the connector symbols:  If J then E/ not J // not E.
18. Suppose you have a statement in Propositional Logic where all of the truth values under the main operator are true, what kind of statement is it?
19. Suppose you have a statement in Propositional Logic where all the truth values under the main operator are false, then what kind of statement is it?
20. Suppose you have a statement where all the truth values under the main operator are a mix of Ts and Fs, what kind of statement is it?
21. Suppose you have two statements to compare, and they have the same truth value on every line, then what is their relation?
22. Suppose you have two statements and they have opposite truth values on every line.  What is their relation?
23.  Here is an argument in Propositional Logic.  Use the Indirect Proof method of truth table to test for validity.  Remember to make an initial assumption.
If  not A then (B or C) / not B // If C then A.   (Again, remember to write this argument out using the symbols for the logical connectors.)

“Racial profiling” is the use of race or ethnicity in determining whether someone has committed an offense. A few cases of racial profiling that have received widespread attention in the last few years can be read about here:
Starbucks just the latest accused of racial profiling
Is racial profiling illegal? In Florida, yes, but not in every state:

One notorious example of racial profiling is the “stop-and-frisk” policy of New York City that steadily increased from 2002 to 2013. Read more about the policy here:
“I got tired of hunting black and Hispanic people”
Stop-and-frisk data
NYPD is disbanding a unit that is the last chapter of stop-and-frisk
For this assignment, consider the materials above and read about the experiences of people who were subject to the stop-and-frisk policy in NYC here:
6  people describe being stopped and frisked when Bloomberg was mayor of NYC
Answer the following in a one-page essay:
What is “racial profiling?” How does the “stop-and-frisk” policy in New York City utilize racial profiling? What percentage of people who are stopped and frisked are innocent? Choose one story from the 6 offered in the VICE News article above that stands out to you. What happened in this case? What does it suggest to you about the stop-and-frisk policy? Discuss fully in a one-page essay.