Essay Assignment
For this essay, do the following:
1) Choose a contemporary moral issue that you care about. It might be abortion, gun control, euthanasia, stem-cell research, cloning, marital infidelity, animal rights, capital punishment, software piracy, stopping (or encouraging) immigration.... or any other one you might think of. It might berelated to business issues but it doesn't have to be.
2) Present the best case for each position for and against. It is important to be careful here. You, no doubt, have preconceived ideas about which position is right and which is wrong. Try to temporarily put your opinion aside. Consider the best ARGUMENT for each side. Save your opinion for the end of the essay. Try to be OBJECTIVE here. If you do this effectively, I should not be able to tell what position you actually endorse. This section can be short.
3) Apply each of the two primary moral theories: Kantian and Utilitarian ethics. In carrying out the theory applications, you will first want to describe each theory and then explain how each would be applied in considering your case. You might also (but don't need to) consider whether the issue is usually addressed from a consequentialist or principle-based perspective. Does it make any difference? How would the issue change if there were a shift in perspective? Which foundation for addressing the argument (Utilitarian or Kantian) do you think is better? Why? This is the part of the essay that will likely be the hardest, just be clear on each theory and what it means to analyze a moral issue according to the theory. Is this how people normally debate the issue?
4) What do you take to be the morally proper decision to make concerning the issue you have chosen? How is your position best defended? You may have already presented a defense in the second part so here you might just want to explain why you think it is a better position than the other.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
(1) The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
(2) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
(3) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.