Paper 4
The Assignment
Your task is to write a philosophical essay on one of the following four topics:
Topic 1
Why does Wolf think that moral sainthood isn’t necessarily an ideal way of life? Is she right? Defend your answer.
Topic 2
Recall the slavery objection to utilitarianism that we discussed in class. Does this objection refute utilitarianism? Defend your answer.
Topic 3
Suppose you are deeply committed to a certain life project: becoming an Olympic gymnast, say, or the operator of a homeless shelter or a research scientist. This project is for you no mere pastime or job—it defines you and your sense of life’s meaning.
Is having life projects like these compatible with what utilitarianism says about moral life? Why or why not? If not, is that a reason for rejecting utilitarianism? Defend your answer.
You may find the essay in our course anthology by Bernard Williams titled “Utilitarianism, Integrity, and Responsibility” useful in thinking about this topic. Williams: “[H]ow can a man, as a utilitarian agent, come to regard as one satisfaction among others, and a dispensable one, a project or attitude round which he has built his life, just because someone else’s projects have so structured the causal scene that that is how the utilitarian sum comes out?” (104).
Topic 4
Does Kant really have to hold that one should never—never!—tell a lie? Either way, how plausible is Kant’s ethical theory? Defend your answer.
Your essay should be a sustained piece of prose with a clear introductory section, in which you tell your reader what you will say and introduce any necessary technical terms; a clear middle section, in which you present your case on the issues in question; and a clear concluding section, in which you summarize your results and comment on their significance for your topic. Your goal once again is to get up and running in your paper the kind of philosophical debate we find in our course readings.
Note that there was material on the course handouts and in lecture directly relevant to these topics. Obviously, you may use this material in your thinking about what to write. But we will be looking for papers that are as original as possible. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to present all new ideas on your chosen topic. But it does mean that if you include an argument or objection explicitly discussed in lecture or on the handouts, you will need to present it in your own words and have something original to say about it. Remember: there is far more to say about these issues than we can get to in lecture and in tutorial. This paper is your opportunity to go beyond lecture and tutorial and to think things through for yourself.
Details
Your paper should be 3 - 3.5 pages long. (Going a bit over is fine, but don’t overdo it.) Papers must have appropriate (i.e., 1”) margins. Use a 12-point font and single-spacing. Please put your name, your TA’s name, and your student ID number on your first page and please keep a copy of your paper.
For extremely helpful advice on how to write philosophy papers, I recommend the following:
(1) “How to Write a Philosophy Paper” at www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html.
(2) The Philosophy Department’s essay clinic. For information about meetings with the essay clinician, contact the department’s undergraduate counselor, Eric Correia ([email protected]).