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:
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.
Please save your work as a Word document or similar program, so that you have a copy of your work for your records. You can then “paste” your completed essay in the text field or upload the file.
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.
Explain, thoroughly, the relevant aspects of Aristotle’s virtue theory. In other words, what would Aristotle think is (morally) at stake in this scenario?
Explain how both Abuela and Domingo Ash should respond to the situation of the burning building. Would Aristotle require both Abuela and Domingo Ash to do the same thing? Why or why not?
Make an argument for whether or not Aristotle’s moral guidance is good. If you think it’s good, explain why. If you think it’s not good, explain why. Be sure to thoroughly explain your assessment here.
