Description

Intro to Philosophy (Online)

Professor LaMendola
Paper Topics
5.3 Critique chosen positions and adequately Defend against possible objections, both theoretical and applied.

The details of this assignment are reviewed in this module, as well as the Getting Started module. 
Choose only one of the following questions to respond to for your paper topic:

1. Consider the scenarios involving the unwilling moral agents of Jim and George in Bernard William’s “Utilitarianism & Integrity”. Describe the events that occur in each scenario (Be detailed your descriptions.) Explain how these events relate to the Brain in a Vat scenario in Robert Nozick’s “The Experience Machine”. Additionally explain how the thought experiments in each article exemplify objections regarding consequentialist judgments. Finally, using the selection from Mill’sUtilitarianismto demonstrate how these objections might be unwarranted. Provide a detailed scenario that demonstrates your formulation of the unwarranted objections.

2. Describe Kant’s line of reasoning in which he arrives at the Categorical Imperative.(Simply stating the Categorical Imperative is not enough to satisfy this question. Describe Kant’s reasoning to the best of your ability. Citing outside sources may be necessary to do this.)What does this imply that all agents must have access to? Is this a reasonable constraint on moral agency and moral decision making? Additionally consider the Case of the Inquiring Murder once more. Provide a scenario in which it would be in accordance with laws of your country to tell the Inquiring Murder which way the victim went. Describe how this might be in accordance with the Categorical Imperative.

3. Consider Thomas Nagel’s article, “Moral Luck”. State the Control Principle. State the conditions for moral luck and how moral luck results from the Control Principle. Describe Nagel’s four kinds of moral luck. Give examples for how each of these would violate the Control Principle. When viewing Nagel’s position as a response to Kantian ethics, what is the most fundamental way in which we should evaluate moral judgments? Moreover, how does moral luck affect consequentialist judgments? Provide scenarios for instances in which moral luck might complicate both Kantian and consequentialist judgments (Make sure your scenarios include resolutions.)

• You may receive amaximum of 30 pointsfor this assignment.

• When this paper is completed, submit itvia the dropbox on the course website:

• Submission Title – ex., IntroPhilo John Smith – Final Paper

• File Name – ex.,John_Smith_IntroPhilo_FinalPaper

• All files must be submitted in .doc or .docx format. Encrypted, unreadable, or any other files that are not the correct type will receive an automatic “0” for the assignment. Please consult your campus OTS for a student copy of MS Word.

• Make sure your final submission is complete and that any comments that I added after it was returned to you have been removed. You will only be allowed to submit once! All submissions arefinal! 

• I will receive drafts of your papervia the dropbox named “Paper Drafts,” which can be found in the “Final Paper” folder of the Course Content. I will return all drafts with comments, using the comment function in MS Word. Additional time for the assignment be provided at my discretion. After the draft deadline there is no guarantee I will be able to review your draft.

• Chooseonly oneof the assigned paper topics for your paper. What I am looking for in this paper assignment is for you to demonstrate the same skills of critical thinking, reading comprehension, and evaluation that you have attempted to demonstrate in the Discussion Boards over the course of the semester. Read each question carefully before deciding which question to respond to in your paper. There is no need to notify me of your choice, and you may change topics at any time. However, you should clearly state which question you are responding to in the title of your essay. You must present a well-organized paper that appropriately cites relevant material for each question. To ensure that you accomplish this goal it is recommended that you submit to me drafts and/or outlinesvia the dropbox.This is only recommended. Not required.

• The first paragraph of your paper is the introduction. This paragraph is important because it contains your thesis statement. Your thesis statement is the roadmap to your paper. If you have not yet completed your composition requirement, or are uncertain about what a thesis statement is; then please take the time to visit the following website -Thesis Statement Handout (Links to an external site.). If you have further questions regarding the matter, then you should contact me directlyvia <lamendola@gmail.com>, or the appropriate campus Writing Center. Additionally, the conclusion of your paper should clearly restate your thesis and how you have went about proving it. Formatting the structure of your paper this way is commonly referred to as “the Five Paragraph Essay.”

• For citations use MLA formatting style.You must cite your sources!Please see the listed on the syllabus or consult the Writing Center for help. You should use only the assigned material and class notes for this assignment. Make sure to place your works cited on a separate page at the end of your final paper. This page should be marked “Works Cited”. If you need to cite text, then please only do so in line –Do not use block quotes!

• The length of your paper must be between 1000 -1500 words.You must meet the minimum word count for me to consider your paper for a grade. Any work that is significantly under 1000 words will not be considered and receive a score of “0”. With regards to work which is submitted that is in gross excess of 1500 words –Quantity does not equal quality. In the interest of efficiency, I stop reading any work that is in excess of 1500 words, once 1500 has been reached. Proofread and consider carefully the work that you write before submitting it.I was a student long enough to know when someone is trying to full up space!

• At the top of the first page of your paper (on the page not in the margin) must be:

As a capstone project to this course, you are required to write a 4-6 page paper. The Final Paper project will cover the following SLOs

5.1   Create and cultivate alternative philosophical positions on presented course content.

5.2   Develop coherent arguments for chosen positions, bringing to bear the rules of logic, written expression, and disciplined thinking.

Paper Instructions (Online)

PHIL1301 - Intro to Philosophy

Professor LaMendola

Further information about this assignment, including the due dates, will be provided later in the semester. You will be given at least a week's notice before the assignments become available.

Submission Guidelines

Paper Topic Response Criteria

Paper Structure Guidelines

Formatting Guidelines

Your Name

Final Paper (Or Paper Draft)

Intro to Philosophy (Online)

Professor LaMendola

Current Semester

This should be followed by a blank and then the question you are responding to in boldfaced type. Please make sure to clearly mark which question you are responding to at the top of your essay submission. No title is necessary for your paper other than this. Include in the header (margin) of each page after the first your last name and page number; ex., “Smith 1”. All text must be formatted to Times New Roman 12pt. Please make sure to use standard margins and no extra spaces between paragraphs.

As a capstone project to this course, you are required to write a 4-6 page paper. The Final Paper project will cover the following SLOs