Social Ethics in Action
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies:
Competency 1: Explain the nature of ethical issues.
-Explain the ethical basis for the relation of individuals to their governments.
Competency 2: Critically examine the contributions of key thinkers from the history of ethics.
-Describe the social contract theories of Hobbes and Rousseau.
Competency 3: Engage in an ethical debate.
-Assess the advantages and disadvantages of differing approaches to political theory.
Competency 4: Develop a position on a contemporary ethical issue.
-Apply traditional social contract theories to contemporary political life.
Competency 5: Communicate effectively in the context of personal and professional moral discourse.
-Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations.
Political philosophy is concerned with the formation and maintenance of civil societies. Its central theme is the need to explain the relationship between individual human beings and their governments.
Many states require that drivers wear seat belts while operating their motor vehicles. This is not like forbidding the use of cell phones or intoxicants, which might impair the driver and endanger other people on the roads. The seat belt law imposes a governmental regulation that can, at most, be held to protect only the individual citizen whose behavior is being restricted. Why should the government be able to tell an individual what to do in the privacy of his or her own car?
Write a paper assessing the seat belt law in terms of the social contract theory of Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Consider the following in your paper:
Should the government provide security by overcoming the selfish desires of the individual citizen, or should citizens cooperate voluntarily in service of the general welfare of all?
What justifies the imposition of governmental authority on individual citizens?
Are individuals always obligated to obey the dictates of their government?
Which elements of the traditional theories are relevant to this case?
Is it unethical for individual citizens to ignore this governmental requirement?
You may also wish to apply other conceptions of the basis for social and political order.
Assignment Requirements
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA guidelines for style and format.
Number of resources: There are no minimum number of resources required; however, use your judgment to ensure your topic is thoroughly researched.
Length of paper: 3-4 typed double-spaced pages.