Contemporary Moral Issues Philosophy 215 Fall 2014 Instructor: Valerie Philbrick-DeBrava Office: James Blair 132 Email: vaphilbrickdeb@wm.edu Office Hours: MWF 9:00-10:00 Phone: (804) 642-4621 Course Times: MWF 10:00-10:50 (01) Course Location: James Blair 201 MWF 11:00-11:50 (02) Course Description: Philosophy 215 is designed to improve our understanding of the moral issues our twenty-first-century society faces. As both a survey of
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On the Moral Permissiveness of Suicide Euthanasia and suicide have a long history of producing polarized opinions. Although neither explicitly used the word euthanasia‚ eighteenth-century philosophers David Hume and Immanuel Kant’s opposed views on the morality of suicide pertain greatly to the modern debate. It is safe to say‚ when considering the arguments proposed by either philosopher‚ that David Hume would be greatly in favour whereas Kant would be vehemently opposed. Both philosophers use
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does not state that the husband was the one to be driving the vehicle last while under the influence of alcohol. 3. Identify each claimant (key actor) who has an interest in the outcome of this ethical issue. From the perspective of the moral agent—the individual contemplating an ethical course of action—what obligation is owed to the claimant? Why? Claimant (key actor) Obligation (owed to the claimant) Perspective (What does the claimant hope will happen?) Husband Fidelity‚ non-injury
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Magical Realism in The handsomest drowned man in the world Magical realism is a genre that portrays both reality and fantasy. As defined by Faris (2004) in Ordinary enchantments‚ magical realism is a genre of writing that includes an irreducible element of magic and details that suggest phenomenon (Faris‚ 2004‚ p. 7). He describes the irreducible element as: “…something we cannot explain according to the laws of the universe as they have been formulated in Western empirically based discourse…” (Faris
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for the crimes they have committed as well as‚ by what are actually considered crimes or sins. I want to explore these differences by asking two questions to each reading: What kind of behavior constitutes as a sin or a crime? What is the source of moral authority behind laws and legal judgments? In Plato’s Apology‚ what constitutes as a sin or a crime? Socrates was accused of being a “doer of evil‚ and a corrupter of the youth‚ and he does not believe in the gods of the state‚ and has other divinities
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My most moral lesson as a child What is a childhood dream? A life that parents love and cherish you‚ they want the very best for you and they work hard to help you through those hard times. What did I get as a child? I had two parents that were both Alcoholics and Drug users‚ this was not exactly your dream home at all‚ however many lessons were learned and many morals gained. My childhood days consisted of no money and bad parents‚ this caused me to really understand and respect the value
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less fortunate people are starving –Rachels Drowning child in shallow rudimental pond -To save child‚ he has to get wet/muddy Premise 1: If we can prevent something bad from happening without sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance‚ then we ought to do so. Premise 2: Absolute poverty is very bad (because of pain‚
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instead acting on their intrinsic ethical principles and moral understandings. This motivation from personal morality at an older age is consistent with Kohlberg’s post-conventional level of moral development. The post-conventional level includes the last two stages of Kohlberg’s model in which people are driven to obtain their individual rights‚ as they grow to achieve the final stage of moral development in which they are driven by their own moral principles and values. The development of this final
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When examining the plot of “The Leftovers‚” it is difficult to assign only one moral framework to the plot and characters. Indeed‚ the members of the “Guilty Remnant” cult have a viewpoint that is doggedly nihilistic‚ something that is perfectly understandable given the events through which they have lived‚ and the circumstances in which they continue to live. However‚ the majority of the other “leftover” characters appear to subscribe to the doctrine of ethical relativism‚ which is perhaps the most
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Friedrich Nietzsche’s essay in On the Genealogy of Morals explores the origins and meaning to different moral concepts. Nietzsche does not believe that moral values are given; rather they emerge under certain conditions‚ promoting the survival and growth of a particular group of people. The way Nietzsche describes morality as “the slave revolt in morality began with resentment itself becomes creative and gives birth to values: the ressentiment of natures that are denied the true reaction‚ that of
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