Some sample exam questions

1. What are the basics of utilitarian ethics and Kantian ethics? How do utilitarians make moral decisions? How do Kantians make moral decisions?

2. What arguments are given against certain kinds of experiments on humans? What arguments are given against certain kinds of experiments on animals? How are these arguments similar and different?

3. What is the argument that Peter Singer presents in his “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”? What are some of Gregory Pence's criticisms of that argument?

4. What are some of the health disparities between the races that Annette Dula summarizes? What does she argue ought to be the response to these disparities?

5. In general, how should one address moral issues? What methods of thinking are useful?

Day 4

Day 4

Today people seemed to vote that they'd like to discuss abortion/stem cell research/cloning (which can all be related in various ways) and/or euthanasia/physician assisted suicide.

Here is a reading on abortion:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/abortion.htm

James Rachels, "Active and Passive Euthanasia," JAMA
http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/Rachels_Euthanasia.pdf

Day 3

For Monday

Monday, June 8, 2009 11:00 a.m.-11:50 a.m. Nabrit-Mapp-McBayLecture Room II

Poverty and Global Public Health: Charity or Justice inResource Allocation?

READINGS: 1. “The Singer Solution to World Poverty,” Peter Singer, The NY Times.http://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/19990905.htm 2. Gregory Pence, Ch. 4. “UTILITARIANS VS. KANTIANS ON STOPPING AIDS,” from The Elements of Bioethics (McGraw Hill, 2006)http://aphilosopher.googlepages.com/pence.pdf 3. “Racism and Health Care: A Medical Ethics Issue,” Annette Dula, from A Companion to African-American Philosophy (Blackwell, 2003).http://aphilosopher.googlepages.com/dula.pdf 4. Introduction to sections on “Resource Allocation” in Singer and Kuhse(eds.) Bioethics: An Anthology (Blackwell, 2007)http://aphilosopher.googlepages.com/resource-intro.pdf WRITING ASSIGNMENT 3 (due at the beginning of class): A number of philosophers, health-care professionals and activists have argued that we are morally obligated to focus greater attention on the needs of people living in poverty and absolute poverty, both domestically and abroad. What are their arguments? What challenges do these positions face? What, if anything, are we obligated to do to address the needs of these differing populations? Why?

General Intro to Ethics materials

Here are some of the materials I use in my Intro to Ethics course:
http://aphilosopher.googlepages.com/teaching
Many moral issues are related and so insights gained thinking critically about one topic can help give insights into other topics, esp. in terms of the methods used in thinking about them.

For our next meeting

For our next meeting, please watch these videos, as well as the readings below:

http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/2009/04/040509_4.html
Peter Singer
This Princeton University professor became internationally recognized in 1975 when he published his book Animal Liberation. In his new book, The Life You Can Save, Singer again steps out of the academic world and stirs international debate by asking: why can't we save the millions who die of poverty-related illnesses every year?

Pledge to save the lives of people living in extreme poverty at http://www.thelifeyoucansave.com/

Peter Singer's home page
http://www.princeton.edu/~psinger/