This final assessment is worth 40% of your course grade. It is in two parts of equal weight. Please submit both parts in a single Word document. Remember to number your answers so I know which topics you are writing on.
Part 1
In an essay of 500 to 1000 words, address one of the following topics.
1 A thought experiment — A vaccine against Covid 19 has become available. It works, but supply is limited. Who should get it first? Rank the six categories of people listed below in order of priority, and justify your ranking.
Those whose good health is most important to the community
Those most at risk of contracting the disease;
Those most likely to die if they catch it;
Those most likely to spread the disease to others;
Children;
Those who can pay for it.
2 When, if ever, is torture justified? Who, if anyone, can be legitimately tortured? In what ways? For what reasons? By what agency? Explain your answers, showing how your thinking relates to the key themes of the course.
3 How should we balance the rights and interests of people with those of other living things? How does your answer to that question relate to your ethical judgments about your own and other peoples behaviour in the current climate crisis?
4 How should teachers assess students? Should our grades be based only on performance, or should we consider other factors? For example, should we reward effort or improvement? Should we use grades as an incentive? Should we make allowances for special problems or special needs? Explain your answers, showing how your thinking relates to the key themes of the course.
Part 2
In an essay of 500 to 1000 words, address one of the following topics.
1 Describe your ethical personality. To what extent and in what circumstances are your moral intuitions and judgments based on religious faith, on Utilitarian principles, on a concern with freedom or justice or fairness or rights or the common good, or on some other principles? How has your ethical personality developed? What have been the most important influences on that development? Analyse a relevant episode from your life in detail.
2 Describe your ethical personality. To what extent and in what circumstances are your moral intuitions and judgments based on religious faith, on Utilitarian principles, on a concern with freedom or justice or fairness or rights or the common good, or on some other principles? How do you apply your moral intuitions and judgments to your own behaviour in one of the following roles: family member, student, worker, citizen? Analyse a relevant episode from your own life in detail.
3 Describe your ethical personality. To what extent and in what circumstances are your moral intuitions and judgments based on religious faith, on Utilitarian principles, on a concern with freedom or justice or fairness or rights or the common good, or on some other principles? How do you apply your moral intuitions to collective entities such as corporations and states? How do you apply them to your assessments of public figures and people with power? Analyse a relevant case in detail.
4 Describe your ethical personality. To what extent and in what circumstances are your moral intuitions and judgments based on religious faith, on Utilitarian principles, on a concern with freedom or justice or fairness or rights or the common good, or on some other principles? When you are making ethical judgments, how do you deal with conflicts between different ethical principles if more than one seems applicable and important? Analyse a relevant episode from your own life in detail.
