Progress Report - Course Grade Updates

Here's a link to your current grade report for the course.

Your grades are in sets of 4 sheets.


The first set is your overall grade so far in the course. The second column from the right is the total number of points you have so far in the course. 1725 is the highest total number. The column furthest to the right shows your current percentage grade as a decimal point. Anything from .895 and up is an A; .795 and up is a B; etc. This is your current grade – it will change as we complete more assignments. I have dropped one quiz grade, so a few of you have over 100%.


The next set is your term paper grade.


The next set is your exam grade; you’ve completed two exams so far; the third one is the Rawls exam that's due on May 26.


Etc. Each set is labeled with the category.


Look for your grade with your student ID number. This was a ton of data entry, and I’m not good at data entry – double check your grades carefully to be sure I haven’t made a typo or missed entering a grade. It’s very easy to fix now, so just send me an email if you see a mistake.

Term Paper Responses

Here's the list of responses we talked about in class today. If you look at the bottom left corner of the last page of your paper, you'll see a number or several numbers. You can look up the number on the list here.

1. Flesh out the utility and disutility at more length

You’ve made some good basic points about the utility and disutility that might be brought about by the publication of the photos, but try to (1) give more detail about how and where you see the welfare being created or destroyed, and (2) see if you can think through more about the potential benefits that would be brought about, or the potential problems that would occur. So this was a good start, but you want to try to think it through in as much detail as you can muster. Particularly, you want to be sure that you’re thinking about the issue from all sides. In this case, there are important principles of journalistic freedom in play, as well as the potential for damaged reputations. The newspaper is an important vehicle by which ideas get exchanged, and the exchange of ideas is central to Mill’s reasoning, so giving the greatest possible leeway to the paper to publish what it finds newsworthy is something important in terms of the freedom of expression. Hiding the students’ identities does impose on the paper’s ability to tell the story, AND, it also means that those students might miss out on the opportunity to have people argue against them and thereby the opportunity to exchange their wrong ideas for right ones. Freedom of expression doesn’t mean freedom from being criticized and argued with (remember, Mill specifically says we can “argue with and remonstrate with” people we disagree with – to remonstrate means to forcefully and disapprovingly object to something). So there are serious aspects to both sides. You want to be sure you’re considering all of those when you make your case.

2. Show your calculation more

Show your work a little more in section three. That is, try to give reasons why you think one consideration is more important than another. For example, if you were arguing that the benefits to freedom of expression and belief are greater if we limit what the paper can publish (by enforcing a rule that they’ll blur potentially embarrassing photos of students), you might say something like “I think freedom of expression is better protected if we protect the identity of the students: first, students are at a more vulnerable stage in their lives socially, and I think the threat of being publically embarrassed will have a more chilling effect on their willingness to put forward ideas. Second, as Henry Johnson points out in the case study, publishing recognizable photos might shift the whole debate onto the individual culpability of the students pictured, and distract us from the important conversation about racism and privilege: since Mill’s argument about freedom of expression focuses on the importance for the greatest good that comes from having open discussions, anything that interferes with these discussions would be destroying welfare instead of creating it. So if we look at the reasons Mill has for supporting freedom of expression, we see that those reasons are best furthered by protecting the students’ identities rather than revealing them, even though it does impede the newspaper’s freedom to some extent.”

3. Make sure you follow the instructions

Be sure that you’re following the instructions very closely, so that you’re certain to answer all the important questions I want you to answer. This paper is partly showing your understanding of the arguments we covered by showing you applying those arguments in detail. In order to demonstrate your understanding, then, you want to be sure to really do the utilitarian calculation in detail. The instructions are a way of reminding you of all the important parts you have to cover in order to do that, so be sure you’re doing everything that’s listed. This is a good general start, but it doesn’t go into enough detail for me to really see you demonstrate a deep understanding of the material.

4. Be sure you include Mill’s reasons

Remember – don’t just include Mill’s reasons why he thinks freedom of expression is so important. Say how it relates to his specific concerns in On Liberty to the general Utilitarian principle and be sure to use those reasons when you’re thinking about what the paper’s policy should be (rather than just general ideas about welfare). By focusing on Mill’s reasons about expression instead of just his conclusion and the general Utilitarian principle, you (1) can illustrate the connection between those ideas; (2) can get more particular about your argument – there will be some interference with total free expression no matter what happens in this case (either the students will be embarrassed and might possibly be less willing to express their opinions in the future, or the paper will have to stifle part of the story to protect the students’ identities), so just saying that we’re concerned to encourage free expression doesn’t do any work here – the reasoning behind why we’re concerned with free expression gets you further, because you can see which considerations will most further those reasons and why.

5. Organization

Reread your draft for organization once you’ve finished a rough draft. Often, the order in which you organize ideas makes a huge difference to how easy it is to follow your reasoning and/or the reasoning of the philosopher you’re explaining. For example, if you bring up someone’s conclusion, you should explain his/her reasons in support of that conclusion right away, rather than mentioning the conclusion in one paragraph and then talking about the support later in the paper. Similarly with your own conclusions – give your reasons in support of your conclusions immediately before or after you say what your conclusion is, rather than mentioning what you conclude about an issue on one page, going on to talk about something else for a while, and then circling back around to provide some reasons. The connections between ideas become extremely hard to follow if the ideas that connect up to one another are scattered around, so be sure to organize ideas together with their reasons so that your reasoning is clear and persuasive.

Rawls Exam

Here's a link to the last Midterm of the semester (sniff...)

Philosophy 110: Rawls Exam

It's due no later than 1 p.m. on May 26 (Thursday) in my office, PS-117.

If you want to turn the exam in early, feel free. If I'm not in my office, slip your exam under my office door AND send me an email with an electronic copy of the exam attached. Make sure that you hear back from me by Thursday verifying that I got your exam; if you haven't head back from me, contact me right away to make sure you get me your exam on time.

Let me know if you have any questions while you're working on the exam.

Good luck; have fun!

Extra Credit

Earn 10 points for each excellent answer, up to 100 points. Type and double-space your answers and submit them to me no later than May 26 by 1 p.m.

Plato: Euthyphro

• Socrates claims that he doesn’t know anything. If that’s the case, how does he respond to the definitions his interlocutor puts forward?
• Euthyphro tweaks his definition and comes up with: what is dear to all the gods/God is pious and what is hated by all the gods/God is impious. Socrates doesn’t think that explains anything. Why not?

Utilitarianism (John Stuart Mill On Liberty)

• What are the four major problems that arise for act utilitarianism?
• How does Rule Utilitarianism address those four problems?
  
• What is the difference between act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism?

Kantian Ethics

• Why does Kant think you should recognize that you must always treat other rational beings as ends in themselves, and never merely as means?

Virtue Ethics (Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics)

• What are the two parts to developing into a person who can find the Golden Mean, and why are both parts necessary?
• What do virtue ethicists think about ethical principles?

Justice as Fairness (Rawls)

• What are two major worries Rawls has about Utilitarianism?
• Why is the veil of ignorance important to get the Original Position to "work"?

Term Paper 2: Mill's On Liberty

Here's a link to your term paper on J.S. Mill's On Liberty. Term Paper here.

The paper is due on Tuesday, May 10 in class.

You won't be able to complete the assignment yet, as we haven't finished going over Mill's arguments, but you'll be able to read through the paper and think about it as we cover the arguments in class.

Let me know if you have any questions while you're working on it.

Make-up Assignment for Group Project 4/7

If you missed class on Thursday, April 7, complete the make-up assignment below.

The Humanity Formula of the Categorical Imperative is pretty abstract (briefly paraphrased, "always act so as to treat humanity as an end-in-itself, never merely as a means."). It takes work to figure out how that should actually "play out" in real life. For this assignment, we're going to start thinking about what specific obligations we have, to uphold the humanity formula.

Step 1:
Spend 10 minutes brainstorming about a real life situation that you think is meaningful and important.

Start by briefly describing the situation.

Then say what's required in that situation in order to treat everyone (yourself included) as an end-in-itself.

Step 2:
Post your brainstorm in the comments below.

Step 3:
Over the weekend, keep checking back in and reading your classmates' stories and thoughts (there were 8 of you who missed class).

Based on the collection of stories, generate a list of general rules about how you should act in life in order to be treating all people as ends-in-themselves. Discuss back and forth with one another in the comments. As a group, the 8 of you will decide on your list of general rules for treating people as ends-in-themselves. You'll put your final list in the comments here.

Progress Report - Course Grade Updates

Here's a link to your current grade in the course.

Your grades are in sets of 4 sheets.

The first set is your overall grade so far in the course. The second column from the right is the total number of points you have so far in the course. 875 is the highest total number. The column furthest to the right shows your current percentage grade as a decimal point. Anything from .895 and up is an A; .795 and up is a B; etc. This is your current grade – it will change as we complete more assignments. I have dropped one quiz grade, so a few of you have over 100%.

The next set is your term paper grade. You’ve completed one term paper so far, so only the first column has a grade in it.

The next set is your exam grade; you’ve also completed one exam so far.

Etc. Each set is labeled with the category.

Look for your grade with your student ID number. This was a ton of data entry, and I’m not good at data entry – double check your grades carefully to be sure I haven’t made a typo or missed entering a grade. It’s very easy to fix now, so just send me an email if you see a mistake.

Forum 3 Grades

Excellent job on Forum 3, everyone! That was an interesting discussion, and I liked that you were having more of a conversation with one another.

Here's a link to your grades. As always, send me an email if you know you posted but don't see a grade - it's very easy to lose track in these threads, and I may just have typed in your student ID number incorrectly.

The post is worth 75 points; response is worth 50 points.

Forum 3 Grades

Midterm 2: Kant

Here's a link to your Kant Midterm; you won't be able to complete all the questions yet, but if you want to download it and get started, feel free. Read the instructions carefully!

Let me know if you have questions while you're working on the exam; get started early so that you can get help if you need it.

Good luck, have fun.

Forum 3: The Laramie Project

***NOTE***

Because of the power outage, we introduced Kant in class today instead of finishing the movie. We'll finish watching the movie on Tuesday (I'll email the location before class). New due dates for your forum answers are below.

***NOTE***

Please read all of the comments before you post - my goal for these projects is to make them a real conversation. So see what other people have talked about before you post, and then take that into consideration in your own comments.

**NOTE**
Please stick very closely to the questions below. There are all kinds of discussions one could have about the ethical issues raised by this film, and there's value in having those discussions. But if we're all going off in different directions, it's impossible to pursue any one question in depth, and that's what I want to do.

***NOTE***
Make absolutely sure that you're speaking with respect for everyone in your comments. Comments that display disrespect for persons will be deleted and you will not get credit for your answer.

**NOTE**

Don't forget to sign your name to your post! I have more than one class at a time posting to various blogs, wikis, and whatnot, and I can't keep track of everyone's handle. Put at least your first name and last initial so I can record your grade.

Please post your response to one of the questions below by Friday, March 25, at 8 p.m. Then respond to 1 of your colleagues by Sunday, March 27, at 8 p.m. Your comments should be substantive and thoughtful. Try to elaborate on your ideas, and explain why you think about things the way you do.

1. Many people were particularly upset that Matthew Sheperd was murdered because he was gay. Do you think there's something particularly bad about crime when it's aimed at someone because of their inherent characteristics (like their race, ethnicity, gender) rather than, say, because you wanted to steal something from them? Why or why not?
2. What unexamined ideas and assumptions do you think the young men had, that made them react the way they did to Matthew? What do you think motivated those assumptions?

If you missed watching the movie in class, you can get it from the library: The Laramie Project

I can't find transcripts from McKinney's trial online; here's a story about the defense from the New York Times.
image published by Xnatedawgx under a creative commons attribution/share alike license

Term Paper 1: Aristotle

Here's the link to your Aristotle paper. Some of the questions may not make sense until we're finished discussion on Thursday, but if you want to get started on the earlier questions, go ahead!

Term Paper 1: Aristotle

Grades for Forum 2

Here's a link to your grades from Forum 2. The post is worth 75 total points; the response is worth 50.

Forum 2 Grades

Forum 2: The Mission

General Instructions

1. *Update*
2. Sorry for the confusion - the characters listed below are the Guarani - I don't have names for the Spanish and Portuguese characters.
3. Choose one of the questions below to answer in depth.
4. Spend at least 10 minutes brainstorming your answer to the question; don't be satisfied with the first answer(s) that come(s) to mind, but continue to think more deeply about the problem for the entire 10 minute period. Write your answer in a text-editing or word processing program - don't write it directly in the comment box!
5. The, spend another 10 minutes editing your answer - challenge yourself about your answer, ask yourself why you think the way you do, and develop your answer more completely.
6. Finally, copy and paste your answer in the comment box, below.
7. A good answer will be at least half a page long as you're writing it in your processing program.
8. Answers are due by 4 a.m. Sunday morning.
9. By 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday morning, respond to one of your colleagues. You can (respectfully) challenge the person's reasoning, expand on what someone else has said, use a colleague’s idea as a jumping off point to develop something else, or ask a colleague (in detail, and showing why and how you’re confused or unsure of their reasoning) to expand on what they’ve said. But be sure you’re demonstrating serious engagement with the ideas.

Miss a day of the movie? You can watch it here streaming online.
Questions
Choose one of the questions below to work on.

1. Mendoza's views of what constitutes the good life undergo sweeping changes in the film; how do his views change, and what do you think it says about how to live a good life?
2. Do you think all, or only some, or none of the people in the film exhibited courage? Why do you think so? Everyone in this Mission certainly meant to be courageous - how would you describe each person's view of courage?
3. Gabriel's view of courage is based on his religious commitments; could you make an argument for that view, without depending on a particular understanding of the divine?

Oh, by the way: for reference, here are the character names of the central characters-
Medicine man - Sigifredo
Chief (king) - Asuncion
Luitenant - Alejandrino
Young boy - Bercelio (the main little kid, with the monkey)

Jeremy Irons was Father Gabriel
Robert DeNiro was Rodrigo

The Cardinal's name is Altimarano

Midterm 1: Euthyphro

Here's a link to the first midterm: Euthyphro Midterm

Email me if you have any questions as you're working on it.

Answer are due Tuesday, February 22, during class.

Don't forget that we'll meet in the Skills Center lab next week.

Forum 1 Grades

Hi all,

Hope this works - let me know if you have trouble getting to the link.

Grades for Forum 1

Forum 1: Case Study

**ANOTHER UPDATE**
Blogger doesn't do threaded comments, so to respond to a colleague, just post a second comment. Mention the name of the person you're responding to, and summarize the central point you want to address.

By the way, one very legitimate response might be to be persuaded by someone else. If someone made a very good point that swayed your thinking, you can make that your response - but try to drive the conversation forward by adding something to the good point - say in detail how your thinking changed, add additional evidence, or fill out the reasoning.

**UPDATE**
Don't forget to include your first name and last initial in your post, so I can give you credit for the assignment! Include a last initial so that I don't have to hunt through the 3-page long roster looking for your first name. If you forgot to include your last initial, or your name at all, send me an email.

"Professional counselors who learn that a minor in their care has been sexually assaulted are obligated to tell the minor's parent(s)/guardian(s) about the assault, unless the minor alleges that it is the parent(s)/guardian(s) who has committed the assault."

In the comments, do all 3 of the following:
1. Say whether you support creating the law as written; support creating the law with amendments, and list the amendments; or oppose the law.
2. Give your reasons in support of your position.
3. Raise 2 of the best points against your position, and say why those points are wrong, or are less important than your reasons.

Getting a Google Account

Welcome!

Welcome to Philosophy 110: Intro to Ethics. I hope it'll be a great semester.

Here are links to your syllabus and schedule for the course.

The school is trying to go paperless, so if you'd like a hard copy of the syllabus and schedule, please print them out from the PDF at the link. I'll have a limited number available on the first day for anyone without a printer or an internet connection.

The books are all available cheaply online, often for less than $5.00 each. Many are also available for free as online documents - but if you do get a free copy, please be sure to get one with numbers and letters (like "12a") in the margins (scholars did this deliberately so that everyone could follow along no matter which edition you have of the book).

I'm looking forward to meeting you next week!