The topic : Should someone spend time watcing youtube videos?
Length: 3 - 4 pages, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt font, standard margins and spacing between paragraphs.
Your task is to develop an applied ethical question and then evaluate two different answers to that question.
Structure:
You must discuss two different possible answers to your question, and determine which (if either) of those answers is correct. So, it is a good idea to structure your paper like this:
Introduction: what is the question? What is your thesis statement?
Explain the first potential answer.
Present an argument regarding this answer: argue that it succeeds or that it fails.
Explain the second potential answer.
Present an argument regarding this answer: argue that it succeeds or that it fails.
Conclude
The Arguments:
Keep in mind the different elements we have seen to arguments all term:
Moral principles (claims like ‘It is morally necessary to maximize utility' or ‘All persons have a right to life')
Empirical claims (claims like ‘Animals and humans have similar neurological structures' or ‘It hurts to be punched in the face')
Moral Intuitions (claims like ‘It is wrong to kick puppies for fun' or ‘It is permissible to unplug yourself from the famous violinist')
Your argument will require some combination of the above. Keep in mind the different normative ethical theories we have studied (consequentialism, Kantianism, virtue ethics, ethics of care). Try to identify what intuitive claims you're relying on, and consider how they relate to those different normative ethical theories.
Regarding empirical claims, be very careful: this is not a research paper. You are permitted to include citations for relevant empirical data, but do not fall down a research rabbit hole. This is an opportunity for you to look into a subject that you find personally significant, but keep in mind that your grade is determined by your interaction with the philosophic material we have been studying.
Scoring Information:
Thesis Statement: 5 points
Is clear
Is appropriate for this assignment
Is located near the beginning of the paper
Is the claim actually supported throughout the paper
Explanation of Answers: 30 points
Both are expressed clearly and thoroughly
Both actually answer the chosen question
Both rely appropriately on relevant material
All claims required to support each answer are thoroughly and correctly explained
All claims are thoroughly and reasonably justified
All key terminology is defined
Argumentation: 30 points
Conclusions expressed clearly and thoroughly
All claims required to support conclusions are thoroughly and correctly explained
All claims are thoroughly and reasonably justified
All key terminology is defined
All background assumptions are expressed and explained
Argument is contextualized, so relevance and significance is clear
Use of Relevant Material: 20 points
Material explained is in fact relevant
Relevant material is explained thoroughly and accurately
There are no unnecessary tangents
Quotations are used appropriately to justify claims about the content of a text
Quotations are the appropriate length
Quotations are explained thoroughly
Structure and Writing: 15 points
There are no spelling errors
There are no egregious grammatical errors
The paper has clear introduction and conclusion
There are appropriate paragraph separations
Each paragraph has introductory and concluding sentences
All words in the paper are the students' own or are clearly attributed as a quotation
The student at no point quotes Dr. Saint