Writing Homework Help

You can choose one or more of these theories to focus on in your paper.

• Egoism / Social Contract Theory
• Western Religious Morality
• Utilitarianism

[STEP TWO] For your Short Essay, choose one (1) Applied Ethics subject and dilemma to write about from the list of Short Essay Applied Ethics Subjects:

[NOTE: YOU MUST CHOOSE A DILEMMA IN THIS LIST. YOU CANNOT CHOOSE YOUR OWN DILEMMA.]

Example:

For your Short Essay One paper, you could choose to argue, using Utilitarianism, that it is unethical for governments to implement a social credit score.

[STEP THREE] Your essay will be organized according to a modified Rogerian Argument Structure:

The Rogerian Argument Structure is used to find common ground between two sides in a complex issue, so it is a good writing structure for analyzing and arguing about ethical dilemmas. We will modify this structure somewhat to allow for the examination of an ethical dilemma. Your essay will be divided into four sections, with each section answering particular questions about the ethical dilemma and moral theories you have chosen to use. Remember, your essay will be 800-1200 words total, so please allocate enough words for each section!

Suggested Title: The Ethics of [case or dilemma] in [subject] using [moral theory] by [your name]

Examples:

“The Ethics of Vaccine Rationing in Medicine Using Utilitarianism by Susan Kitteridge”

or

“The Ethics of Taking A Knee in Sports Using Virtue Theory by John Meyerson”

or

“The Ethics of Manufacturing Defects in Business Using Kantian Ethics by Stephen Mousse”

Each section of your essay must address the following questions:

SECTION I: In your own words, explain the ethical dilemma presented in the case. What are the relevant facts that need to be understood in order to come to an ethical decision? What are the summary pros and cons of both sides? Why is there disagreement between the opposing views?

SECTION II: Explain in detail an opposing or different ethical view. What do people who follow this view believe? Why? What are the facts that would lead them to believe this view? Why is this view reasonable for some people to hold? How does the moral theory or theories you chose to study help to explain this opposing view? (Beware the Strawman Fallacy in this section.)

SECTION III: Explain your ethical view. What are the facts that lead you to believe in this view? How does the moral theory or theories you chose to study help to understand your ethical view? How does the moral theory help to understand why differing views are wrong?

SECTION IV: What agreement (common ground) exists between your ethical view and the view of people who oppose or differ from your view? How does this common ground help in understanding the ethical dilemma? How can this common ground lead to a solution of the dilemma?