Humanities Homework Help

Moral Responsibility and Determinism

Moral Responsibility and Determinism

As you know from your reading in Chapter 7, particularly Section C, a good deal of evidence suggests we do not have free will, that determinism is true (make sure to distinguish between fate, which involves supernatural forces, and determinism, which does not; for this discussion, we are NOT referring to fate, the idea that supernatural forces control our lives). If determinism is true, then questions regarding moral responsibility take on new significance: how can we be morally responsible for our actions if we do not have free will? how might our evaluation of our own actions and the actions of others be affected? If people cannot do anything other than what they do, should they be praised and blamed for their actions? Watch the video below on moral luck, another complication related to questions of praise and blame, and then give your response to the 3 questions above. Your response should include specific references to the video as well as at least one of the readings in Section C of Chapter 7.

Make sure to follow the instructions given in Unit 1 in the Discussion Forums: Protocol and Grading Criteria folder for making specific references to texts, videos, and podcasts; posts that do not make references according to these instructions will not r

Works Linked/Cited:

“Moral Luck: Crash Course Philosophy #39.” YouTube, uploaded by Crash Course, 12 Dec. 2016. Moral Luck: Crash Course Philosophy #39 – YouTube. Accessed 4 May 2020.

Epistemic Responsibility

Epistemic Responsibility

Chapter 3 of our text discusses the branch of philosophy called epistemology, “the study of human knowledge—how we get it, what it is, whether we have it, or why we don’t” (191). But another significant question is: are we morally responsible for our relationship to knowledge, or more specifically, truth? Many of the current problems in our society are directly related to the belief in and spread of false information, and while philosophical questions might often seem abstract and removed from daily life, sadly, people are being injured and murdered as a result of people spreading false information: how people act in relation to what they believe can literally have deadly consequences.

Read the article “How Do We Get to Herd Immunity for Fake News?”, watch the below video, and then do/answer the following:

• Choose a quote (must be a complete sentence) from the article that caught your attention and discuss why it did, specifically, how it relates to our relationship with truth.
• Summarize W.K. Clifford’s argument (discussed in the video) with regard to epistemic responsibility (the example about the shipowner is NOT his argument; it is an example meant to illustrate the argument), and then respond to his argument: do you agree or disagree with Clifford? Give reasons and perhaps examples to defend your response.

Make sure to follow the instructions given in Unit 1 in the Discussion Forums: Protocol and Grading Criteria folder for making specific references to texts, videos, and podcasts; posts that do not make references according to these instructions will not receive full credit.

The article given above is from The New York Times. Non-subscribers are limited to the number of articles they can read, but the Dallas College Library provides full access to The New York Times.

Would You Want to Live in the Matrix?

Would You Want to Live in the Matrix?

The film The Matrix is in large part based on Descartes’ Meditations, specifically the evil genius argument, and Plato’s allegory of the cave (video below). In The Matrix, one character, Cypher, wants to return to the matrix (a computer simulated reality), knowing full well that nothing he experiences there will be ‘real’ (see Agent Smith and Cypher video below).

First, by making specific references to the excerpts from Descartes’ Meditations in Section A of Chapter 3, explain your understanding of Descartes’ dream argument and his evil demon/genius argument by giving a brief explanation of each.

Then, in thinking of how you value your experiences, specifically, what you value about them, answer the following: Does it matter to you if something ‘really’ happened? Or, if you experience something as real, is that all that matters? If, at the end of your life, you were to find out that all of your experiences had been a computer simulation, would that change the way you value the ‘experiences’ you had? Explain why or why not.

Make sure to follow the instructions given in Unit 1 in the Discussion Forums: Protocol and Grading Criteria folder for making specific references to texts, videos, and podcasts; posts that do not make references according to these instructions will not receive full credit.

Works Linked/Cited:

“The Cave: An Adaption of Plato’s Allegory in Clay.” YouTube, uploaded by bullheadent. 18 Apr. 2008, The Cave: An Adaptation of Plato’s Allegory in Clay – YouTube. Accessed 19 Aug. 2020.

“Agent Smith and Cypher.” YouTube, uploaded by pumasheen. 12 Dec. 2006, Agent Smith and Cypher – YouTube. Accessed 19 Aug. 2020.