TOPIC: ethics
SUBJECT: Ethics
TYPE: Essay (any type)
PAGES: 3
DEADLINE: 27.03.2018 20:33
DESCRIPTION:
i can’t do both but you can choose from the two topics below. 1. Rachels’ Third Argument against Ethical Egoism. What is the main idea of Ethical Egoism (EE)? How does EE define morally right actions? How does EE differ from a theory known as Psychological Egoism? Does EE require that we never do anything that might help other people? Does the notion of “self-interest” employed by EE mean the same as “whatever one wants”? What is Rachels’ general principle concerning when we are justified in treating some people differently from others? How does acceptance of this general principle show that certain doctrines which advocate different treatment of some groups of people are arbitrary? How does application of this general principle to EE leads to the conclusion that EE is an arbitrary theory? Why being arbitrary – i.e., demanding that we treat people in ways which cannot be justified by relevant factual differences – is a problem for a moral theory? How is this problem related to the role of reason in ethics, as discussed by Rachels’ in his “ Minimum Conception of Morality”? OR 2. Thomas Hobbes’ “State of Nature” argument: Morality as a pre-requisite for peaceful social co-existence. What are the basic features of the hypothetical situation which Hobbes’ calls “The State of Nature” (SN)? What are the specific facts about the conditions of human life in SN as described by Hobbes in the excerpt from his book The Leviathan? How do these specific facts lead Hobbes to conclude that human life in SN will be governed by constant fear of other people (the situation Hobbes calls “state of war”)? Given that humans would find life under constant fear of being harmed unacceptable, what can they do to escape such an unpleasant situation? What are the two fundamental conditions (described by Rachels) which would enable people to co-operate with one another, and thus to escape the State of Nature? Why does putting these two fundamental conditions in place amounts to an agreement (“social contract”) among people to obey the basic rules of morality?
