Do you believe that there are moral truths in the world, or are all moral values relative based on personal interest and culture? What are your reasons for your position?
Do you agree with Mill that our evaluation of ethics should be based on pain and pleasure? Why or why not?
Do you agree with Mill that we can easily see a difference in quality between higher and lower pleasures, where higher pleasure are better than lower pleasures? Why or why not?
How do you define economic justice, and what principles do you think a society hold that is just in terms of economic distribution? What elements, if any, of the theories proposed by Rawls and Nozick that you find that you agree with?
What does civic participation mean to you? What duties and responsibilities, if any, do you think are attached to being a citizen in a democratic community? What do you think about the discussion about the duty of voting and the duty to not vote badly in the two articles?
What does the term “intersectionality” mean to you, and why does it help in understanding social justice issues?
In the documentary, the term “orientalism” was discussed. What is your understanding of this term, and do you think it operates in our culture today?
What do you think the purpose of criminal punishment should be? Discuss what you see are the ethical boundaries concerning punishment, and whether or not we should/can find alternatives to criminal punishment.
Do you think that humans have a special moral consideration that is distinct from nonhuman animals? What is the foundation for this consideration, if so? What are your thoughts about the claims of the Great Ape Project? Link: http://www.projetogap.org.br/en/
Do you think that war is ever justified? If so, what principles are needed to ensure that a war is just? What are your thoughts concerning the modifications put into place by van der Linden and Lango?
What do you think of Judith Butler’s concept of responsibility, and what effect do you think it has on our distinction of combatant and noncombatant? Do you think it is compatible with the project that Kaurin sets out in her piece in maintaining the principle of distinction between combatant and noncombatant?
Do you agree with Kant that any action that is motivated by anything else other than duty has no moral value? Why or why not?
How do you understand Kant’s distinction between practical love and pathological love, and how does this distinction fit with his discussion of the categorical imperative?
In what ways does virtue and care figure into your ethical views? Do you think ethics should be focused on obligation, as we saw in utilitarianism and deontology (e.g. Kantianiam), or do you think the focus should be on fulfillment and relationships? What are your reasons for this focus?
