PHILOSOPHY

PHILOSOPHYWritingassignment2ethicsjm.docx

Writing assignment #2: Ethics.

In addition to presenting your own view, the point of this assignment is to demonstrate your understanding of the various theories we discussed. Read the textbook discussion of these various theories and check out the videos suggested to help your understanding of these different approaches to ethics.

Consider this case:

A man is arrested for murder but you, the local police chief, knows he is, in fact, innocent. The local citizens demand that he be lynched immediately – if he isn't, they threaten to kill the man’s entire family and other innocent friends of the man. If you give in to their demands, and let the town hang the man, innocent lives and property will be spared; if you don’t let them hang the man lots of innocent people will die.

NOTE: You can’t change the minds of the townspeople, arrange secret escapes or provide other happy movie endings. To repeat: Deal with the situation at stake. It’s tempting to resolve this problem by posing some magical solution. Don’t. Deal with the case and your options as presented.

What should the police chief do?

How would the following moral theorists likely approach the problem?

a. The ethical relativist

b. The ethical egoist

c. The Divine Command Theory advocate

d. The utilitarian

3.. The deontologist

f. The virtue ethicist

g. You

ethics videos and assignments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bIys6JoEDw

video on Kant’s catgorical imperative