Humanities Homework Help

We began this course by reading texts that raised a number of deep and important ethical questions. For example:

• What makes life worth living? (Apology)
• What is justice? (Republic)
• Why should we be just? (Republic)
• Are there any universal moral values? (Cosmopolitanism)
• How can we live with people whose values are very different from our own? (Cosmopolitanism)
• What does equality mean? (What is Feminist Ethics)
• When (or for what reasons) is it acceptable to treat people differently, and when is it not? (What is Feminist Ethics)
• What is goodness (or holiness, or rightness), and how can we tell? (Euthyphro)
• Is there conflict between being a moral person and living a satisfying life?

Your assignment is to choose one of these questions (or another, comparable question raised by one of our texts), and to identify and evaluate a possible answer to that question that is presented in the course readings. For your midterm, you are required to do the following:

1. Choose an important ethical question that is asked, or at least suggested, by one of our readings. Using examples, explain in detail what the question is, why it matters, and what assumptions (if any) it rests on. You may include quotes from the text, but try to put as much as possible in your own words. Include your own thoughts, not just those of the author.
2. Identify a possible answer to that question that is suggested or argued for in another one of our texts, other than the one which you encountered the question. Explain the proposed answer in your own words (using quotes from the text to support you as needed), and explain why someone might think it is plausible, including any arguments for it that you encounter in the text. (If you find yourself unable to come up with a coherent reason why someone might think this is the right answer, you should probably choose something else.)
3. Do you find this answer satisfying? Why or why not? What do you think is missing from this answer, or what arguments or assumptions does it make that you think are flawed? Give an argument to support your assessment.

Your answer to this prompt should take the form of 2-3 page essay.

You must submit your essay on Canvas by Sunday, October 24 at 11:59 pm.

If you have any questions I will be happy to answer them in class, in my office hours, or via email. However, I strongly recommend you do so at least 72 hours before the essay is due, or else I cannot guarantee that I will be able to respond within a timeframe that will allow you to make use of the answer.