Ethics and Social Issues

ESSAY QUESTIONS

1. Essay Question: Rule Vs. Act Utilitarianism (Utilitarianism)

Suppose that you were wondering whether you, as a doctor, should hug a patient who is in
tears. Give an ethical analysis of pros and cons from an act utilitarian point of view. Then
give an analysis from a rule utilitarian point of view.

2. Essay Question: (Case Scenario -- Utilitarianism)

Suppose that Rosa moves away her children out of town because, based on the information
she has gathered, she believes the move will be the best for the children and larger family
in the long run and she wants to do her duty by them. Imagine the two scenarios. Scenario
1: The results of the action are mostly positive for the family (and inspirational to their
friends), because Rosa’s knowledge was good and nothing unexpectedly negative happens.
Scenario 2: The results are greatly positive despite the fact that Rosa didn’t know very
much, purely by luck. Scenario 3: The results are greatly positive mostly because Rosa
worked hard to make the move a good one. Would Utilitarianism evaluate each act as
having identical moral worth? Explain. Do you agree with the Utilitarian analysis?

3. Essay Question: (Case Scenario)

Suppose that Rosa moves away her children out of town because, based on the information
she has gathered, she believes the move will be the best for the children and larger family
in the long run and she wants to do her duty by them. As it turns out, through no fault of
her own, the children suffer greatly because of the move and the cost/benefit analysis after
2 ½ years shows that the pain outweighs the pleasure. Suppose that, 5 years later, a re-
evaluation of the act in comparison to how alternative actions would have played out shows
that her action, in fact, produced much more good than the other alternatives Do you think
that we should (1) evaluate Rosa’s action as having been a good one, because it ended up
being good (2) say we won’t really know whether it was good yet because something
painful might still happen, or (3) say the act was first bad, then good, but might be good or
bad later, depending on how things turn out. Or would you give another evaluation?
Justify.

4. Essay Question: Evaluating Ethical Theories

Having seen arguments concerning the various morally controversial issues, and the
applications of the different ethical theories to them, do you think that one ethical approach
is better than the others (i.e. based on ability to consistently address more issues, based on
it’s ability to give a really good answer on the issue that is most important to you, etc.)?
Justify your answer.

5. Essay Question: Euthanasia

Sometimes a patient is bound to die shortly but their death would be painful, even when
given state of the art palliative care. How could a utilitarian argue that, in such cases, it is
better to commit active euthanasia rather than passive euthanasia?
6. Essay Question: Duty to Die? (Euthanasia)
Suppose that you are adamantly against the view that anyone ever has a “duty to die,” no
matter how much care/resources it would take to keep someone alive, or the quality of life
it is possible for that person to achieve using those resources. Suppose we were to get
Universal Health Care in this country, such that every citizen has access to a pool of money
that all able pay into. How would this affect your position on the duty to die of someone
who is unable to pay, out of their own pocket, for the preservation of their life. Explain
what factors you would consider, taking utilitarian approach (pleasure minus pain,
intensity, duration, fruitfulness, likelihood).

7. Essay Question: Euthanasia

Give two arguments for and two arguments against physician assisted suicide, including at
least one ethical approach that is not utilitarian.

8. Essay Question: Rights & responsibilities (Abortion) – (15, 30 or 45 points – for 1, 2 or 3)

Part I: Who owes care/resources to an unborn child that is unwanted by the mother (i.e.
the mother, the father, their families, the doctor, the hospital, the church, social services,
the country)? What resources does each of these owe (bodily support, emotional
attachment and care, physical support, financial support, educational support, etc.)?

Part II: How does your opinion above fit in with the guarantee of “a right to pursue
happiness?” Look at it from the perspective of all concerned.

Part III: Does someone who has no intention of offering any of their personal resources to
an unborn child have any right to tell the woman not to have an abortion? Why/why not?

9. Essay Question: Rights & responsibilities (Abortion)

If women are allowed to abort a child without the consent of the sperm donator do men
have any obligation to pay child support for children they do not want? Do these
rights/responsibilities have anything to do with each other?

10. Essay Question: Rights & responsibilities (Abortion)

Suppose that we said that any pregnancy, no matter how painfully produced, is a gift from
the Universe to our human community. As a result, abortion would be considered as going
against the wishes of the Universe. Given such a view, who would owe what kind of care
to the child? If someone were incapable of forming an emotional attachment to any child,
would they owe anything to the child?

11. Essay Question: Rights & responsibilities (Abortion)

Suppose that we said that any pregnancy, no matter how painfully produced, is a gift from
the Universe to our human community. In this view, the neighbor of the birth woman
would be just as responsible for feeding or disciplining the child as the woman herself.
Would such a system prevent abortions? If not, why not? If so, how would this system be
different from the current society, under which many women choose to get abortions (be
specific).
12. Essay Question: Rights & responsibilities (Abortion)
Should Kyle have to pay child support for a child whose birth he tried to prevent by trying
to persuade Maria not to have the child? If Kyle does want to have the child and succeeds
in persuading Maria to have the child, despite the fact that he does not want to remain in
the marriage, what kind of support does he owe? What kind of support does Maria owe, if
any? Does it matter why the marriage broke up?

13. Essay Question: Abortion and Feminism

According to James Mackey, Susan B. Anthony, an ardent feminist, was against abortion
(and even more against the man who enseminates a woman without then supporting her
through pregnancy and childrearing). How can this kind of feminism be reconciled with
the more traditional feminist stance for the legal permissibility of abortion. Would Susan
B. Anthony’s position be suitable in today socio-economic system in which each person is
left to fend for themselves and men feel little obligation, if any, to support children?

14. Essay Question: Rights & responsibilities (Abortion)

What position do you take on whether abortion is morally permissible? If you think that it
is ever morally permissible, under what conditions? Suppose society were to develop
technology that would make it possible to nurture a child to full development from
conception, would this have any effect on your position on abortion? Why/why not?

15. Essay Question: Rights & responsibilities (Children)

Suppose that we said that any pregnancy, no matter how painfully produced, is a gift from
the Universe to our human community. If, after a period of time in which the child is
raised by birth parents alone, it becomes clear that, despite a strong bond between the child
and caregivers, the cost/benefit analysis for the child is very poor, how should the other
family, immediate community/larger society respond? Should the child be taken away
from the parents?

16. Essay Question: Sexual Morality & Ethical Theories

Suppose that two gay men or two lesbian women wanted to get married, what kind of
argument could a Utilitarian give on the subject? What kind of argument could a believer
in Divine Command give? What kind of argument could a Kantian give?

17. Essay Question: Sexual Morality & Ethical Theories

Women’s and men’s sexual behavior is judged differently in most societies. That is,
women are often condemned for sexual behavior that is tolerated, or even admired, in men.
For example, women and men are judged inequitably on the number of partners they have
or the conditions under which they choose to engage in sexual behavior. In extreme cases,
the genitals of young African women are sometimes sewn shut to guarantee virginity (and
other reasons). Can this inequity in social response to women and men be grounded in a
Utilitarian argument? A Kantian argument?

18. Essay Question: Equality and Discrimination

Give 2 arguments for and 2 against the use of quotas in hiring, using at least two ethical
approaches to each.
19. Essay Question: Equality and Discrimination
One of the reasons given by political conservatives against government intervention in
improving race relations and engendering diversity is “we cannot legislate morality.” The
idea is that morality does not come about because of legislation. But, is legislation the only
governmental way of intervening? Choose a position for or against governmental
intervention, specifying the exact nature of the intervention you are contemplating. Give
an argument for your proposal. Then give an argument against it.

20. Essay Question: Economic Justice

Is it possible to believe that a just economic system should pay good wages and yet not
believe that the same system owes every worker enough to cover all the basics? What
would be a counter-argument to this position? Do you have a response to the counter-
argument?

21. Essay Question: Economic Justice

Peter Singer, a utilitarian of some note, argues that individuals of a certain level of wealth
should give some of their wealth to those who don’t have enough for the basic necessities,
on the grounds that having enough of the basic necessities increases the net pleasure of
more people than it reduces the net pleasure of the wealthy. Is this position anti-American?
Provide two arguments against his position (one of which should be Utilitarian in nature).

22. Essay Question: Legal Punishment – Death Penalty

One argument against the application of the death penalty as a deterrent is that the person
who is killed might not have ever gone on to take another life. As a result, killing them
does not prevent a death, but only brings one about. Supporters of the death penalty
sometimes reply that it’s OK for a prisoner to lose their life, even if they never would have
killed again. How could you justify their position? How could someone who opposes the
death penalty respond?

23. Essay Question: Legal Punishment

Give 2 arguments for and 2 against the use of the death penalty, using at least two ethical
approaches.

24. Essay Question: Weapons of Mass Destruction (Violence, Terrorism and War)
Explain the different weapons considered to be weapons of mass destruction and give three
arguments (for and/or against) the use of each. (For example, you might give one argument
for the use of nuclear power and two against.

25. Essay Question: War Crimes (Violence, Terrorism and War)

Do you believe that there is such a thing as a war crime? What criteria would have to be
met? Give an example of something you would call a war crime and something you would
not. How does the explanation of war crimes argue against cultural relativism as an
account of ethics?

26. Essay Question: War Crimes (Violence, Terrorism and War)

 Give two possible causes of international terrorism against the United States. Give one
possible solution.

27. Essay Question: War Crimes (Violence, Terrorism and War)

Give a utilitarian argument for the use of nuclear weapons, addressing both the principle of
discrimination and the principle of proportionality. Give a counterargument.

28. Essay Question: US Violence (Violence, Terrorism, and War)

Bring up and discuss at least 2 phenomena that are thought to play a causal role in violent
acts in the United States.

29. Essay Question: Suicide Bombers (Violence, Terrorism and War)

Bring up and discuss at least 3 factors that are thought to enable/cause young people to
become suicide bombers.

30. Essay Question: Defending Terrorism (Violence, Terrorism and War)

According to Mackinnon, what kind of ethical approach is most often used to defend
terrorism? Describe how the application of this approach is a defense of terrorism.
Provide at least one criticism of it.

31. Essay Question: War Crimes (Violence, Terrorism and War)

Describe the at least 3 features of the profile of the average Iraqi terrorist. Given this
profile, what measures could be taken to prevent future terrorism? Is war an effective
preventative measure?

32. Essay Question: Just War Theory (Violence, Terrorism and War)
One authority on just war theory says that those people who are engaged in doing what
they do for persons as persons are noncombatants, and those who are doing what they do
specifically for the war effort are combatants.” Do you think that hospitals treating
combatants should not be targeted? Why? How about journalists? How about food
suppliers and distributors?

33. Essay Question: Just War Theory (Violence, Terrorism and War)
Is the use of certain weapons by an individual always justifiable? Which? For those which
are sometimes justifiable, what is the criteria?

34. Essay Question: Stem Cell Research (Cloning)

Give two arguments either for or against both therapeutic and reproductive cloning(each),
including one from a rule Utilitarian point of view. (Make sure to include a slippery slope
argument against each.) In your opinion, does this Utilitarianism the desired outcome for
each? Why/why not?

35. Essay Question: Stem Cell Research

Name three reasons why proponents of research on embryonic stem cells prefer these stem
cells to other types. In your opinion, are these good enough reasons to permit the use of
aborted fetuses? Fetuses produced by invitrio fertilization? Justify your answer
36. Essay Question: (Globalization)
Do you agree with Robert Kaplan, correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly, that it is human
population growth, more than anything else, that creates national/international instability?
Outline the premises in the argument and evaluate. What measures could be taken?

37. Essay Question: (Globalization)

Give two arguments for and two arguments against farm subsidies in the United States,
using at least one outside source and mentioning at least two moral principles. Look at the
problem from a view of process state justice and then from the view of end state justice.
Which do you prefer?

38. Essay Question: Connections between Issues

Having seen arguments concerning the various morally controversial issues, and the
applications of the different ethical theories to them, you may see a connection between a
certain stance on a certain issue and another issue (for example, you may see a connection
between abortion and euthanasia, abortion and sexual morality, legal punishment and
violence, terrorism, and war, environmentalism and globalization.) Pick two related issues
and write about the connection between the two and about whether adopting a stance on
one forces you to take a certain stance on the other.

39. Essay Question: Consistency between Issues

Is it possible to be against abortion on the grounds that it takes a human life, while still
being for the death penalty? Why/Why not?

40. Essay Question: Consistency between Issues

Is it possible to be against abortion on the grounds that it takes a human life, while still
being for euthanasia? Why/Why not?