Choose one topic among A) The U.S. Civil War, B) Nationality, or C) Patriotism on which to apply the general issue described below in bold. Advance a clear argument in response to the stated description of the topic you choose.  Your paper must have a clear thesis statement at the outset, in your first paragraph, followed by a clear demonstration of your reasoning to support your thesis.  Be advised that the course materials and class activities to date - readings, lectures, discussion - are sufficient for satisfactorily answering each of these questions, using only the information provided in the prompt.  Please refrain from citing sources outside of this class.

This writing assignment is worth up to 10 bonus points toward your Exam 2 grade.  They will be evaluated using four-fold criteria: 1) how well you understand the specific issue at hand (3 points), 2) whether your thesis statement is clearly expressed (3 points), 3) how well your reasoning supports your thesis (3 points), and 4) overall clarity of expression (1 point).

Papers should be no longer than 3 pages in length, double-spaced, 12 point font.  Use your limited space wisely - avoid long sweeping introductions and get right to your thesis!  Papers are due in class on Tuesday, November 15, 2011.  Only hard copies submitted in class will be accepted.  Email attachments or late papers will not be accepted. 

Obligations of Membership

According to many modern liberals, moral obligations arise in only two ways. First, there are universal duties that we owe to every human being, such as the duty to avoid harming people unnecessarily. Second, there are voluntary obligations that we acquire by consent, as when we agree to help someone or promise to be faithful to our partners and friends. According to many modern liberals, there are no other types of moral obligation.

Critics of liberalism disagree. They say there is a third type of moral obligation that is neither universal nor voluntary. We can be morally obligated to a particular community even though we haven't assumed the obligation voluntarily. Obligations of membership and loyalty can arise from shared identities, communities, and traditions-because we're someone's son or daughter, someone's friend, a member of a particular community, or a citizen of a particular country.

Are there moral obligations of membership and loyalty that are neither universal nor voluntary? Are we sometimes obligated to do more for people who are closer to us? Is it possible to be obligated to do something for someone even if you haven't chosen to be obligated? Are there obligations of membership and loyalty that can compete with universal duties to humanity? As you think about these questions, choose a topic below and construct an argument. 

A)    In the American Civil War, General Robert E. Lee led the Confederate Army, even though he thought that slavery as a practice should come to an end. Lee said he could not bring himself to raise arms against his slave-holding countrymen in the South. Was there something admirable about Lee's reticence, or was it merely prejudice? Is it evidence of a special moral obligation that competes with a universal duty to humanity?

B)     Do Americans who live in El Paso, Texas, have greater moral obligations to people who live in Alaska than to people who live right across the river in Mexico? Why? What is the source of this obligation?

C)     Is patriotism a virtue? Or is it merely prejudice for one's own? Most people do not get to choose what country they will live in, and no one chooses where they're born. Why are we obligated to the people of our own country more than to the people of any other?