ESSAY

Topic: For your first essay, you will ANALYZE VARIOUS THEORIES OF ETHICS and engage them critically, through argument analysis (strengths and weaknesses) and personal assessment (your own opinion and arguments).

After doing this you should have a good understanding of common Western theories of ethics and be able to explain which theory and supporting arguments you find most compelling You will write your essay by answering the following questions:

1. You need to address the subjectivism vs. objectivism debate in ethics. Which do you find the most convincing? What arguments do you find the most compelling to support your position? In other words, you need to choose either ethical objectivism or ethical relativism, explain which arguments help you choose your position, and explain why other arguments are NOT convincing.

a. You will find details of this debate in our William Lawhead "Philosophical Journey" book (pages 431-453)

2. Next, you need to present the various theories of ethical relativism found in our Lawhead book and give the strengths and weaknesses of each theory. Then you will need to decide which theory you find most convincing, and support your decision with arguments.

a. Subjectivism pp. 433-435; Conventionalism pp. 435-443

3. Finally, you need to present the various theories of ethical objectivism found in our Lawhead book. You will need to give strengths and weaknesses of each theory, explain which is the most convincing, and support your decision with arguments.

a. Ethical egoism pp. 453-469; Utilitarianism pp. 470-487; Kantian ethics pp. 488-505; Virtue ethics pp. 506-525

Your entire paper should be around 1000-1500 words. That means you should answer each question with 350-500 words.

Reading: To answer these questions you should use this books-

• William Lawhead, "The Philosophical Journey"

o You will find this book under "Content"

o If you are having a hard time understanding each theory, you can look at the end of each chapter and section for a good summary of strengths and weaknesses as well as further details on the theories.