Discussion 1 and 2

Discussion: Week 2

Please read this article then review and discuss the questions below: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/05/31/join-wall- street-save-the-world/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0f84430b934f (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.

One way to conceptualize utilitarianism is to hold that the morally required thing to do is to increase the intrinsic good in the world. Trigg is doing just that. But is he going far enough? If one is morally obligated to maximize the good in the world when should he stop? Should Trigg and the rest of us give all of our income to save the poor - right up to the point of being poor ourselves?

Thames, B. (2018). How should one live? Introduction to ethics and moral reasoning (3rd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.

Week 2 Symposium [WLOs: 2, 3] [CLOs: 3, 4, 5]<

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If you are having trouble starting this video, please access it here (Links to an external site.) . Video transcript can be accessed here .

In the Ancient Greek world (the world of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, often regarded as the birthplace of philosophy) a “symposium” was a banquet held after a meal, an “after party” of sorts that usually included drinking, dancing, recitals, and engaging conversations on the topics of the day. For our purposes in this course, the Symposium discussions will not involve dancing, recitals, or a banquet, but they will provide food for thought on current ethical issues and direct application of the ethical theory discussed in each of these weeks. It is almost impossible these days to turn on the news or log onto social media without encountering a controversy that cries out for ethical discussion. For these Symposium discussions, your instructor will choose a topic of current ethical interest and a resource associated with it for you to read or watch. Your task is to consider how the ethical theory of the week might be used to examine, understand, or evaluate the issue. This week, you will consider how utilitarianism applies to a controversy, dilemma, event, or scenario selected by your instructor. It is a chance for you to discuss together the ethical issues and questions that it raises, your own response to those, and whether that aligns with or does not align with a utilitarian approach. The aim is not to simply assert your own view or to denigrate other views, but to identify, evaluate, and discuss the moral reasoning involved in addressing the chosen issue. Your posts should remain focused on the ethical considerations, and at some point in your contribution you must specifically address the way a utilitarian would approach this issue by explaining and evaluating that approach.

If you have a position, you should strive to provide reasons in defense of that position. When responding to peers, you should strive to first understand the reasons they are offering before challenging or critiquing those reasons. One good way of doing this is by summarizing their argument before offering a critique or evaluation. You must post on at least two separate days, must include at least one substantial reply to a peer or to your instructor, and your posts should add up to at least 400 words.