In this unit we will be delving into the question “What is the good life?” Plato said that The Good beyond being is the ‘form of the forms’ and, along with Aristotle, thought that contemplating The Good was the highest one could achieve in life.
In your groups, you will be responsible for teaching the rest of the class about the ethical theorist that you’ve been assigned. Each of these theories have expanded and changed somewhat over the years but, for the most part, they remain tied to the primary texts you will be reading.
Your Project Entails:
1. Mastery (or something close to it) of the PRIMARY TEXT. Know what the thinker says and how to explain it in detail.
2. Understanding of the OBJECTIONS to the ethical theory. How does the ethical theory your reading espouses react/respond to objections raised against it?
3. An EXAMPLE of an everyday situation which your ethical theorist responds to.
4. An explanation of how your ethical theory accounts for a modern-day ethical concern: Climate Change, Income Inequality, food deserts, refugees, etc.
Your presentation should be informative, on-topic, and entertaining. These presentations can be boring if you let them be boring. If you work hard on them they will be enjoyable and will teach us all quite a bit. Here is an example of an excellent TED talk about ethics:
http://bit.ly/Kfxjua
EVERY MEMBER OF YOUR GROUP MUST TAKE PART IN THE PRESENTATION
Readings:
Mill Group: Utilitarianism (ch.2)
Kant Group: Groundwork to the Metaphysics of Morals (pgs.5-13)
Nietzsche Group: Genealogy of Morals, Essay 1
Aristotle Group: Nicomachean Ethics Books 1&2
In your groups, you will be responsible for teaching the rest of the class about the ethical theorist that you’ve been assigned. Each of these theories have expanded and changed somewhat over the years but, for the most part, they remain tied to the primary texts you will be reading.
Your Project Entails:
1. Mastery (or something close to it) of the PRIMARY TEXT. Know what the thinker says and how to explain it in detail.
2. Understanding of the OBJECTIONS to the ethical theory. How does the ethical theory your reading espouses react/respond to objections raised against it?
3. An EXAMPLE of an everyday situation which your ethical theorist responds to.
4. An explanation of how your ethical theory accounts for a modern-day ethical concern: Climate Change, Income Inequality, food deserts, refugees, etc.
Your presentation should be informative, on-topic, and entertaining. These presentations can be boring if you let them be boring. If you work hard on them they will be enjoyable and will teach us all quite a bit. Here is an example of an excellent TED talk about ethics:
http://bit.ly/Kfxjua
EVERY MEMBER OF YOUR GROUP MUST TAKE PART IN THE PRESENTATION
Readings:
Mill Group: Utilitarianism (ch.2)
Kant Group: Groundwork to the Metaphysics of Morals (pgs.5-13)
Nietzsche Group: Genealogy of Morals, Essay 1
Aristotle Group: Nicomachean Ethics Books 1&2