powerpoint

PHI 300, Ethics for Life Wilmington University

Detailed Instructions for Final Project: Construct and Present a Moral Argument

IMPORTANT! Before you begin, re-read Ethics for Life, Chapter 2, pp. 47-51.

• Be sure that you fully understand the "components" of an argument, and how to use those

components in the “Five Steps for Constructing Moral Arguments,” all explained in these pages.

For your final project, you will use those five steps to construct and present a narrated moral argument for

one scenario listed in the "Six Ethical Dilemmas" document (link in the Final Project assignment page). Use

PowerPoint or Prezi (IMPORTANT: Whether your narration is a voice recording or written, read the paragraph

at the bottom regarding narration.) *

Argue your points from the standpoint of a specific moral theory that we have studied. (You may or may not

agree with the theory you choose to use, but make the argument as if you do agree with that theory.) You may

even argue from a combination of moral theories, but you still must reach one unequivocal conclusion.

Minimum number of slides: 9

Use the following steps (as outlined in Chapter 2: Moral Reasoning):

Section 1: Background (2 slides) Title page (p. 1); Description of the scenario/moral dilemma (p. 2).

Section 2: Develop a list of at least four possible premises (1-4 slides) Make sure your facts are

accurate and do not rely on unsupported assumptions or opinions. Define ambiguous terms that you

might use throughout your argument. (If they fit, all premises can be listed on one slide.)

Section 3: Eliminate weak premises (1-2 slides) Eliminate any weak or irrelevant premises and say why

they have been eliminated. Do not make eliminations based on whether the premises mesh with your

particular opinion regarding moral issues. Rather, eliminate them on their own lack of merit: Are they

weak? Irrelevant? Do they use fallacies? Rhetoric? Emotive language? Be specific, and use the

appropriate terminology in your explanation.

Section 4: Come to a conclusion (1-2 slides) Make sure your conclusion is relevant and logical (it is

based directly on, and logically follows, the premises). Make sure that your conclusion is clear and

specific – not too broad or too narrow.

Section 5: Try your argument on others (1-2 slides) Practice arguing your point with at least two

people. Then, in these slides, identify important parts of your conversation (i.e., least and/or most

effective parts) and list relevant feedback that you may have received.

Section 6: Revise your argument (1-2 slides) Based on further reflection and on the feedback, revise (if

necessary) and say why you revised it. Then, restate your argument (premises and conclusion) If you

did not revise your argument, say why not.

Section 7: Reference page. Also, include in-text citations if needed. (1 slide)

* Remember that this is a presentation with slides for visual aids. In a presentation, the presenter doesn't

put every word of the script in the slides. Rather, use bullet points, graphics etc. to show your main points,

but fill in your visual information with narration – just as you would in an in-person presentation. In other

words, do not fill up each slide with verbiage and then simply read it aloud – or expect the audience to read

too much. Either use audio narration, or place your written narration in the "notes" sections of the slides.