Week 9 DQ PHIL

2/6/22, 5:02 PM Discussions List - PHIL200 B006 Winter 2022

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Week 6 Discussion

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professional and academic. For more

details about how the initial post and

peer replies are graded, see the

"Discussion Guidelines" and "Grading

Rubric" linked below.

Discussion Guidelines & Grading Rubric

W6: Kantian Deontology 0

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Description:

For this forum, choose one of the following

topics to respond to for your initial post.

When you respond to your peers please

respond, if possible, to a learner who has

posted a contrary view on the topic you

selected and then, at a minimum respond to

at least one learner who has posted on the

topic you did not select.

Topic A: Physician Assisted Suicide

Some people promote the idea that

humans should have the right to

die with dignity (see

https://www.deathwithdignity.org/

). Several states have legalized

physician-assisted suicide (PAS).

However, others may argue that a

2/6/22, 5:02 PM Discussions List - PHIL200 B006 Winter 2022

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doctor prescribing a deadly

prescription violates that doctor's

Hippocratic Oath or claim that

suicide by any means is immoral.

Doing research and taking into

consideration the actual laws

concerning when and how a

confirmed terminal patient would

be able to request PAS, make an

argument that it is or is not a moral

action. Also see if you can find

Kant's famous argument on the

immorality of suicide. Does he have

a point or are there just some

times when the morally right thing

to do is to allow a person to end his

or her suffering?

Topic B: Categorical Imperative

For Kant, following a universalizable rule

and respecting autonomy were

paramount. As such, there were very few

rules that qualified, truthfulness was one.

Preserving life might be another one.

Johnson and Cureton lay out the steps

required for a moral rule to satisfy the

categorical imperative as follows:

First, formulate a maxim that

enshrines your reason for acting as

you propose.

2/6/22, 5:02 PM Discussions List - PHIL200 B006 Winter 2022

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Second, recast that maxim as a

universal law of nature governing all

rational agents, and so as holding

that all must, by natural law, act as

you yourself propose to act in these

circumstances.

Third, consider whether your maxim

is even conceivable in a world

governed by this law of nature.

If it is, then, fourth, ask yourself

whether you would, or could,

rationally will to act on your maxim

in such a world. If you could, then

your action is morally permissible.

Discussion Task: See what rule or

rules you can suggest based on

these four steps and then see if you

can think of a justifiable reason to

violate this rule (no, you cannot use

truthfulness). If you are unable to

develop a rule, then discuss why

you found doing so impossible.

Johnson, Robert and Adam Cureton,

"Kant’s Moral Philosophy", The Stanford

Encyclopedia of Philosophy Edited by

Edward N. Zalta 7 July 2016.

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-

moral/#ForUniLawNat

Before you post, please thoroughly

edit your writing to ensure it is

2/6/22, 5:02 PM Discussions List - PHIL200 B006 Winter 2022

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Week 7 Discussion

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professional and academic. For more

details about how the initial post and

peer replies are graded, see the

"Discussion Guidelines" and "Grading

Rubric" linked below.

Discussion Guidelines & Grading Rubric

W7: Feminist Theory 0

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0

Description:

For this forum, choose one of the following

topics to respond to for your initial post.

When you respond to your peers please

respond, if possible, to a learner who has

posted a contrary view on the topic you

selected and then, at a minimum respond to

at least one learner who has posted on the

topic you did not select.

Topic A: Female thinking?

Doing some research (nothing more

than 5 years old) and present an

argument that women think differently

than men (or that they do not) and

that they process morality matters

differently (or they do not).