Order 1287295: Korsgaard, “Morality and the Distinctiveness of Human Action”

Philosophy of the Human Person Philosophy 1000c

Please write a response paper on any one of the readings assigned for classes between November 13 and December 11. You may choose which one of these readings to write your response paper on, but your response paper must be submitted by the beginning of the class for which that reading is assigned.

To submit your response paper, go to the course site on Blackboard and click on “Submit Your Work.” Follow the “Response Paper” link and upload your paper, then click on the “Submit” button.

The “Response Paper” link for each reading will only be active until the beginning of the class for which that reading is assigned. No late papers will be accepted for any reason. Students who do not submit their work on time will have to write a response paper for a later reading instead. Students who do not submit any acceptable response papers by December 11 will receive a 0% for this assignment.

Response papers must have the following format: The response paper is to be divided into four separate sections. Each section must be a paragraph of 100 words or less.

The four sections are as follows:

(1) State the author’s main thesis in the reading in your own words. What is the author trying to prove here?

(2) Explain why this thesis might be surprising or controversial. Why might a reasonable person disagree with the author’s thesis?

(3) Summarize the author’s argument in support of the thesis. How does the author try to convince reasonable people that they should agree with his thesis?

(4) Evaluate the author’s argument. Do you believe that this argument can compel reasonable people who disagree with the author’s

thesis to revise their beliefs about this issue? Why or why not?

The purpose of this assignment is for you to analyze the assigned text yourself using your own words. Accordingly, please do not use any direct quotes or close paraphrases in your response paper. You may not use any outside sources for this assignment.

If you would like, you may turn in response papers on more than one reading. Only your best response paper will count towards your grade for the course. Your grades on your other response papers will be dropped (except in cases involving plagiarism).

Due Date Reading

T 11/13 Galen Strawson, “The Impossibility of Moral Responsibility”

F 11/16 Frankfurt, “Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person”

T 11/20 Sellars, “Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man” (selections) Optional Reading: Parens, “The Benefits of ‘Binocularity’”

T 11/27 de Waal, “Morally Evolved” (selections)

F 11/30 Korsgaard, “Morality and the Distinctiveness of Human Action”

T 12/4 Carter, “Do Zygotes Become People?”

F 12/7 Regan, “The Case for Animal Rights”

T 12/11 Tanney, “On the Conceptual, Psychological, and Moral Status of Zombies, Swamp- Beings, and Other ‘Behaviourally Indistinguishable’ Creatures”