Assignment Goals and Objectives
This assignment is designed to test your ability to explain AND apply the theories you’ve been learning in our course. To succeed on this assignment you should be able to:
Explain the central arguments from the following: Kant and Mill.
Apply each of the theories to a scenario to “test” the feasibility of their normativity.
Formulate objections to each, and consider possible solutions.
Before you begin answering the questions you need to do some honest self-reflection and ask yourself if you understand the material well enough to explain it and apply it.
Assignment Instructions
Do not use material from any outside (i.e., secondary) sources, and do not use quotes from the primary source material longer than several words; I want to read what you have to say about the text. When you do quote the text, however, be sure to enlist the appropriate punctuation.
As a reminder, be sure to construct grammatical sentences that:
As a reminder, be sure to construct grammatical sentences that:
give a clear and concise description of the case at hand or the central problem each thinker addresses.
introduce and describe the relevant philosophical concepts.
give a thorough, philosophical explication of the relevant aspects of each thinker’s arguments. (Remember the tips on how to successfully analyze a text.)
present an argument applying the relevant philosophers to the case at hand or to the question posed.
present an argument explaining why one of the philosophers can be viewed as offering a more successful solution to the case at hand or answer to the question posed.
present an argument of your own regarding the moral status of the solution(s) to the case at hand or answer to the question posed. Be sure your argument does not replace the explication instructions above.
Assignment Question
Consider the following scenario: A burning building, relatively structurally sound, is engulfed in flames, with 4 small children trapped inside. There are two people who must decide how to respond to the situation: Abuela — an 80-year-old misanthropic, pyrophobic, Luddite, who saw her mother burn to death in a fire when she was younger. She’s in relatively good health, although she uses a cane. She has a cell phone for emergencies, but she hates it. Domingo Ash — a 30-year, world-renowned firefighter who is on his way back from the latest firefighting championships. He has all his gear with him but is tired from the demands of the recent championships and, to be honest, a bit burned out from relentless firefighting.
What is the moral action for Abuela to take? What is the moral action for Domingo to take?
Explain, thoroughly, the relevant aspects of the two thinkers’ theories. In other words, what is (morally) at stake in this scenario for Kant and Mill?
Explain how both Abuela and Domingo Ash should respond to the situation of the burning building. Would one or both of your thinkers require both Abuela and Domingo Ash to do the same thing? Why or why not?
Make an argument for which of the two thinkers you analyzed provides the best moral guidance and why?
