TERM PAPER INSTRUCTIONS<\/p>\n
Ethics<\/p>\n
Please follow all the instructions for this paper, as found in the syllabus, including the due date (AS FOUND IN THE ANNOUNCEMENTS \u2013 NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED AND NO PAPERS ACCEPTED THROUGH EMAIL — ALL PAPERS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH CANVAS).<\/p>\n
This is how you should plan your paper:<\/p>\n
Page 1 \u2013 <\/p>\n
Please summarize with great detail (showing you watched carefully) the \u201cWhite Like Me\u201d Documentary (found online:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ijK4hoh1D0s(**CREDIT CANNOT BE GIVEN IF YOU WATCH THE TRAILER ONLY, SINCE THE TRAILER DOES NOT SHOW CRUCIAL PARTS**)<\/p>\n
Page 2 \u2013 <\/p>\n
Please answer these questions:<\/p>\n
a) What was the weakest argument or point made in the film? \u00a0<\/p>\n
b) Please explain if you find X.) or Y.) more compelling (stated below), and then explain why the OTHER side (i.e. the one you disagreed with most) was not convincing \u2013 please be specific.<\/p>\n
X.) \u201cMr. Wise, I have three objections to your film. <\/p>\n
A.) Your movie is COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE to racial equality. You are not helping to heal wounds but are only making things worse by bringing up that which divides us as a nation. We need to MOVE BEYOND RACIALIZED THINKING, not see it ALL THE TIME. If we want a color-blind society, then we must actually practice being color-blind. Talking about white people\u2019s privileges keeps us in the racist past, not moving forward toward a future where we \u2018are judged not by the color of our skin by the content of our character\u2019 (King). <\/p>\n
B.) It is time to stop the \u2018blame game\u2019 and the \u2018guilt game\u2019 and accept that we ALL have problems, not just racial minorities \u2013 very poor whites, for example, are, on average, suffering much more than middle class Hispanics and middle class African Americans; why not talk about their plight, too? You are clearly FIXATED on race, yet economic CLASS matters a great deal, as well; why FORCE EVERYTHING into a racial framework, when reality is more complicated than that? Of course, racism still exists, and we should fight it. But there are A LOT of other issues that are equally \u2013 or in some cases, more \u2013 deserving of our attention, if we were really objective about it. <\/p>\n
C.) You act as if racial minorities today are just HELPLESS VICTIMS of white supremacy (how empowering is this characterization?), as they truly were during the horrors of legalized chattel slavery. BUT IT IS NOW THE 2000s, and people have CHOICES now how they live their lives, which means we ALL have PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. EVERYONE has a responsibility to bring themselves up, no matter where they are at in life. We ALL have a reason to complain and blame our bad circumstance on someone else \u2013 but promoting a \u201cBlack and Brown skinned people are victims\u201d mentality is doing them no favors. Racial minorities today need the OPPOSITE message of \u201cDREAM BIG\u201d and \u201cACHIEVE SUCCESS through YOUR OWN HARD WORK AND PERSONAL SACRIFICE.\u201d White people alive today do not force racial minorities to live in high crime areas, or refuse to go to college, or have shorter life spans because of personal choices to have bad diets. White supremacy is NOT the ONE and ONLY cause of every single problem in African American and Hispanic communities. Yet your documentary assumes it is all the \u2018white man\u2019s\u2019 fault. This is hardly fair or accurate, and, I\u2019m sorry to say, shows you have an agenda and are NOT an objective researcher.\u201d <\/p>\n
Or\u2026<\/p>\n
Y.) Mr. Wise, or his supporter, might reply this way: \u201cA.) Being color-blind is itself a form of white privilege. If you are facing horrible stereotypes, internalized racism, unfair treatment from the criminal justice system, etc. everyday, this society will REMIND you ALL THE TIME that we have not achieved a color-blind society. The only way to heal our society is to ADMIT we have a serious problem with white supremacy, that we white folks still get unearned advantages because of our skin color, and resolve to do what we have to do to FIX THIS PROBLEM, NOT BRUSH IT OFF, ONCE AGAIN. We should only stop talking about and seeing race when race will no longer affect how you fare in life, as it unfortunately does now. <\/p>\n
B.) Of course, other groups besides racial minorities suffer terribly, and these other injustices should end. But you committed a Red Herring fallacy. Why are you focusing on all these other issues \u2013 please make your own documentary about poverty and poor white people, and I would eagerly watch it; but please don\u2019t change the subject \u2013 I made a film on the uncomfortable contemporary reality of white privilege. As has been said before, \u201cIt begins with the Jews, but it does not end with the Jews.\u201d As the saying goes, if you hate Jewish people, you will probably hate many other groups, as well. In a similar way, some of us BEGIN fighting white supremacy, but soon learn that we need to fight poverty, sexism, anti-LGBT, religious discrimination, and so forth. Racial minorities, like white folks, have all kinds of economic classes, genders, sexual orientations, and religions, so, yes, we definitely have to fight for the rights of EVERYONE. \u201cAn injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere\u201d (King). <\/p>\n
C.) Most of the problems you mentioned ARE indeed clear LEGACIES of the slave\/Jim Crow experience, which have been passed down to each generation, even until today. Remember that \u2018emancipated\u2019 slaves were NOT given reparations \u2013 they were given the LEGALIZED TERRORISM of the KKK and hostile\/apathetic white folks. That huge amount of RELENTLESS INTER-GENERATIONAL TRAUMA and FINANCIAL LOSS you do not simply overcome with a positive, \u2018can do,\u2019\u2019pull yourself up\u2019 attitude. That is WAY too simplistic. However, even if you are correct and racial minorities do have SOME share in responsibility for their plight, SOME RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY. We white folks can do a lot to recognize our white privilege and do whatever we can to oppose white supremacy, fight bigotry, and become anti-racists \u2013 that\u2019s what we SHOULD do, so why don\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n
Page 3 \u2013 <\/p>\n
Please summarize (offering many examples, showing you watched carefully) this documentary, “Witness: Voices from the Holocaust” (found online) \u2013 please be very specific.<\/p>\n
HYPERLINK “https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=leqkGOqyWMI” https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=leqkGOqyWMI<\/p>\n
Page 4 \u2013 <\/p>\n
For the first half of this page, please summarize what is covered in this short documentary \u2013 please be very specific. <\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=h66eoydNVCQFor the second half of this page, please respond to this objection:<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, these two videos have contradictory messages, which I cannot reconcile. <\/p>\n
The first one ends with the somewhat pessimistic, unanswered question, \u201cHas humanity learned anything from all this senseless misery, racism, and mass killing?\u201d But the other one makes you feel uplifted and positive about what human beings are capable of. <\/p>\n
So, which thesis is true?<\/p>\n
\u201cHuman beings are capable of almost limitless cruelty and evil, as if we needed to even state the obvious. <\/p>\n
When this does happen throughout history, few of us \u2013 if any \u2013 really internalize the lessons we can learn. As a result, we are doomed to continue repeating such horrors because, time and again, we succumb to our selfishness, fear, laziness, apathy, prejudices, etc\u2026 <\/p>\n
So, I wish I could be more optimistic, but if we imagine humanity as a whole to be like a single person, then we should ask if it would be wise to give such a person another chance to prove himself, after such a horrid track record of abysmal moral failures \u2013 if anything, that person should be PERMANENTLY locked up as a danger to self and others. Just because there are fleeting moments when that person imagines and MAYBE even acts to be moral, in no way justifies giving that person the benefit of the doubt, GIVEN HIS SOLID RECORD OF CRUELTY AND APATHY IN THE FACE OF CRUELTY. <\/p>\n
Humanity does not deserve another chance at proving it cares about other people or will act on its highest moral and religious values. When you learn about the Holocaust deeply and fully, you must accept that there is nothing and no one you can trust in this world, since each of us would surely act THE EXACT SAME as all of those supposedly \u201cGood, decent Germans\u201d who did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING \u2013 even when the evidence was irrefutable that their apathy results in the murder of innocent men, women, and children. <\/p>\n
Just like them, we, too, will find a way to live with ourselves and think of ourselves as decent people when we are complicit with immorality and injustice (think about how easy you rationalize, even now, your own behavior you know is immoral \u2013 YOU KNOW IT IS WRONG BUT DO IT ANYWAY, AND THEN LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR WITH NOT A SHRED OF SHAME; BE HONEST, YOU DO THIS ALL THE TIME!).<\/p>\n
Or\u2026<\/p>\n
Yes, humans have done and still do unspeakable things to each other. But, if you look carefully in history and today, you will find that there have ALWAYS been those who prioritize being an ethical person at all costs. <\/p>\n
Calling these people \u201cheroes\u201d puts a distance between them and us, but the REALITY is that EACH OF US can choose to take the moral path, to do to others what you would want done to you, etc. <\/p>\n
It is COP-OUT to say \u201cI could never do what the rescuers did\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m no hero\u201d \u2013 that\u2019s self-serving nonsense. It is DIFFICULT to be moral! It is RISKY! It is, at times, TERRIFYING! It WILL CERTAINLY COST YOU to be good! But you can still choose to do the right thing anyway. <\/p>\n
You and I COULD do what all the great, everyday moral \u201cupstanders\u201d of history have done, who have all rejected being a passive bystander in the face of injustice and cruelty. <\/p>\n
Each time you hear the cry of someone who needs you, and every time your conscience is disturbed, you are being TESTED. Will you choose to prove the pessimists right? Or choose, in that very moment, to actualize your highest moral potential? <\/p>\n
Will you prove the pessimists wrong by SHOWING THE WORLD the IMMENSE GOODNESS LYING DORMANT WITHIN EACH OF US, only waiting to be actualized? <\/p>\n
Page 5 \u2013 Please watch the following documentary (you can begin watching at 8:00 minutes into it):<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hPer_9cUePYAfter you watched the film, please write one full page, explaining what was shown in the video and showing that you watched it all carefully. Please be very specific. <\/p>\n
Page 6 \u2013 <\/p>\n
For the first half of this page, after reading A. and B. (below), please answer the question that follows (under B.).<\/p>\n
For the second half of this page, please read C., and explain if you agree or disagree, and why.<\/p>\n
A. Dr. Frankl writes: \u201cThe one thing you can\u2019t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one\u2019s freedoms is to choose one\u2019s attitude in any given circumstance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo draw an analogy: a man\u2019s suffering is similar to the behavior of a gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering is great or little. Therefore the \u201csize\u201d of human suffering is absolutely relative.\u201d<\/p>\n
B. In response, someone could reply to Dr. Frankl\u2019s argument this way:<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Frankl, let\u2019s look again at your gas analogy. <\/p>\n
You argue that human suffering is ABSOLUTELY relative, and this seems true in some ways. A rich, \u2018successful\u2019 person may (Heaven forbid) commit suicide over a trivial matter while you can find meaning in life starving in a death camp for three years. This makes sense. <\/p>\n
But I\u2019m not sure you are entirely correct. If we go with your analogy, what happens when more and more gas is pumped into an air-tight chamber? <\/p>\n
Eventually as the hours go by, the gas keeps coming in but there is limited space for all the gas to go. At some point, days or weeks of this will result in a CRITICAL THRESHOLD being met \u2013 at this point, the windows, doors, and ceiling will blow open with the additional pressure added by the continual flood of gas. <\/p>\n
In a similar way, human beings have the capacity to endure great suffering — but, due to our genetics and environment, each have DIFFERENT THRESHOLDS for enduring suffering. You \u2013 quite amazingly, in fact \u2013 can withstand very, very high amounts of suffering yet remain sane and purposeful. <\/p>\n
But why assume EVERYONE is like you? You could find meaning as a paralyzed person, or as an advanced Alheimer\u2019s patient, or a tortured concentration camp slave, but people are different. <\/p>\n
But, more to the point, surely EVEN YOU, Dr. Frankl, have SOME breaking point that would make living totally without meaning if you were honest with yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
After considering A. and B. (above) carefully, which do you think is more compelling, and why? <\/p>\n
For the second half of page 6, please explain if you believe this is a strong or weak argument, and please explain why:<\/p>\n
\u201cFrankl is clearly a believer in the Divine, even though it doesn\u2019t show on the surface. How else can he have such undeniable FAITH in the meaning of life, regardless of the circumstances? <\/p>\n
Please allow me to explain. <\/p>\n
Science says we are but mere \u2018water bags\u2019 who simply find ourselves existing (the result of being at the \u2018right place and the right time\u2019 where microscopic life could eventually evolve to complex, conscious human life) \u2013 with no higher purpose than to reproduce our genes \u2013 all taking place on a tiny speck of dirt in the middle of nowhere. That scientific picture is our reality, unless we accept what Frankl intuitively knows, deep down, at the core of his being.<\/p>\n
Science cannot teach us the value of life (it can only describe life, not say it is worth anything). And our unshakeable sense of meaning in life cannot come from logic, but even if it did, can\u2019t we ask the question, \u2018Why be logical?\u2019 If we give a logical answer to that question, we are already assuming it is good to be logical, which commits the logical fallacy of \u2018begging the question.\u2019 Logic, then, cannot tell us whether anything has intrinsic value in and of itself. In fact, if all we have are science and logic to help us figure out reality, then there is nothing to stop us from drawing nihilistic conclusions (i.e. nothing has meaning). <\/p>\n
This is because logic and science, in and of themselves, have no inherent value \u2013 if you (or your society) see them as \u2018tools,\u2019 then go ahead and use them, but you have to ALREADY ASSUME ON FAITH many questionable, culturally-specific beliefs, such as \u2018Being rational brings clarity,\u2019 \u2018Making conclusions based upon physical evidence is good,\u2019 \u2018It is better to live than to die,\u2019 \u2018Waking life is more real than dreaming life,\u2019 \u2018Trust your head over your heart,\u2019 \u2018Pharmaceuticals are preferable to prayer when one is ill,\u2019 etc. All these background assumptions are NOT \u2018self-evidently true\u2019 (to believe otherwise reflects an ethnocentric bias), but instead reflect our culture\u2019s (unprovable) faith-based ideas about the world. After all, there have been, and still are, individuals and even whole societies who rejected these basic assumptions. <\/p>\n
An additional point: if all you have are science and logic to guide you, how can you avoid utter despair at life\u2019s fleeting nature \u2013 since all living things will one day die (including their immediate descendants, and the descendants of their descendants, and their descendants of their descendants of their descendants, and so on\u2026)? <\/p>\n
Indeed, the scientific evidence shows that everything in existence, including human beings, will be eventually obliterated and forgotten with enough time. For example, scientists are using their research to show how the universe will culminate in a \u2018Big Rip,\u2019 when the universe continues to expand and stretch, eventually tearing every single atom in existence apart into sub-atomic \u2018dust\u2019; or, alternatively, our universe will experience a \u2018Big Crunch,\u2019 when all physical matter will collapse back upon itself, into one, unfathomably dense, microscopic point (wow \u2013 I thought I was claustrophobic now!). <\/p>\n
However, look at Dr. Frankl\u2019s philosophy and actions throughout his life \u2013 everything inside him TOTALLY REJECTS these bleak, but scientifically supported, conclusions. Regardless of what science says, he cannot accept that everything, including his life, will eventually amount to complete nothingness. <\/p>\n
The question now becomes: Why, then, does he reject science and logic so blatantly? <\/p>\n
One possibility is that he \u201cknows\u201d (quotes are used here because this cannot be an ordinary kind of \u201cknowing\u201d), on a profound and immediate personal level that Something Greater exists, which transcends the limits of science and rationality altogether. <\/p>\n
Dr. Frankl \u2013 or any of us, for that matter \u2013 may not even be aware of this on a conscious level, but it takes only a little reflection to realize human life is intrinsically and already (from the \u2018outside,\u2019 as it were) bestowed with so much more than nothingness. If this is true, then isn\u2019t it reasonable to infer that Someone or Something Much Higher and Greater is at work here? (Words, with their finite limits, inevitably fail us on a conceptual level here, being unable to capture That-Which-Is-Without-Limit.) <\/p>\n
We can conclude two things from all this:<\/p>\n
Despite whatever intellectual\/philosophical reservations you may have against his views, you KNOW on an undeniable, gut-level that Dr. Frankl\u2019s message IS inspiring. Why? Because you ALSO believe that human life DOES have inherent value and meaning. <\/p>\n
Why, then, don\u2019t we all just agree with 1)? Perhaps it is because we have many, many layers of rationalizations and defenses that try to stop us from consciously agreeing with 1). <\/p>\n
But, really, what is so scary about accepting 1)? Let\u2019s be honest \u2013 because the stakes are very high. Accepting 1) leads any thinking person inevitably to accepting 2), below.<\/p>\n
If you believe in 1), then you also believe that the basic moral truths that ordinary, civilized people take for granted \u2013 such as human rights apply to everyone, it is good to care about others, the vulnerable and weak should be protected, etc. \u2013 are not the clever inventions of our society. <\/p>\n
Yes, there are areas of ethical controversy that we may debate and discuss, but these basic moral truths are NOT someone\u2019s (or a society\u2019s) mere opinion, like a favorite flavor of ice cream. \u2018Rocky road is better than bubble gum ice cream\u2019 is not right or wrong \u2013 it\u2019s a personal preference. \u2018Kindness is superior to senseless cruelty,\u2019 is, however, objectively true; your preferences for or against senseless cruelty are beside the point. \u2018I prefer the Earth is round,\u2019 has nothing to do with whether the Earth is really round. It IS round, so you might as well like it not being flat! Similarly, someone is simply incorrect to claim \u2018Senseless cruelty is morally better than kindness.\u2019 <\/p>\n
Therefore, once you have admitted that 1) is true, then you must also agree that you believe in Something very, very Mysterious. <\/p>\n
This Something is so exceptional that science and logic cannot express or even fully comprehend it. And this realization alone does not necessarily mean any particular theistic religion, or any religion for that matter, is true. <\/p>\n
It does, however, demonstrate that YOU and Dr. Frankl both hold beliefs that are contrary to:<\/p>\n
*ethical and cultural relativism (you already believe Basic Moral Truths have authority over individual opinions and cultural norms)<\/p>\n
and <\/p>\n
*materialism\/physicalism (the Golden Rule, for example, is NOT a physical thing, so it will NEVER be discovered by science; yet a multitude of \u2018non-physical entities\u2019 \u2013 such as theories, numbers, yesterday (and the thought of yesterday), a perfect circle, G-d, Moral Truths, etc. \u2013 can nevertheless EXIST, but on Another Level). <\/p>\n
The same point can be put this way:<\/p>\n
How can one, at the same time, believe both of these?<\/p>\n
It is objectively true (my opinion is totally IRRELEVANT here) that human beings have certain Moral Rights.<\/p>\n
The only way we can know anything exists is through the scientific method. If science does not show strong evidence in favor of a belief, you should remain agnostic (\u2018I don\u2019t know\u2019) about that belief.<\/p>\n
Now you can understand the real reason why people oppose Dr. Frankl\u2019s arguments \u2013 he has reminded all of us what we already know (if we are honest with ourselves), namely, that we cannot make all the rules, that some things are off-limits morally speaking, that there are ethical boundaries that we did not create and no human being can alter. <\/p>\n
As a consequence, the ethical truths found in Dr. Frankl\u2019s ideas challenge our unrestrained egoism, hedonism, and self-serving relativistic notions. In short, the true brilliance of Dr. Frankl\u2019s work has yet to be fully appreciated \u2013 so much more than a popular \u201cself help\u201d psychiatrist, Dr. Frankl is a moral philosopher who makes a strong case that humanity is not the measure of all things. <\/p>\n
Now if only we would have the courage, integrity, and humility to find ways to integrate these partially-submerged Truths into our conscious beliefs, using these insights to enlighten and improve ourselves and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Page 7 \u2013<\/p>\n
For the first half of this page, please explain why you believe this criticism is strong or weak:<\/p>\n
“Dr. Frankl, I’m sorry, but your philosophy is IMPLICITLY (not directly) blaming the victim.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Why did those fellow Jews in the death camps \u2013\u00a0who were starved to death and tortured every day \u2013 kill themselves?\u00a0 Because they REFUSED to create a meaningful experience out of such horror, you say.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why did you push forward during those 3 years of unspeakable conditions in the death camps?\u00a0 Because, you say, you knew that \u2018what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.\u2019\u00a0 But that’s putting the BLAME ON THE OPPRESSED AND THE DEPRESSED for being too weak and for being too lazy to create\/find their own meaning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Your life is inspiring, for sure. But your ethical views encourage us to blame suicidal and oppressed people — after all, if they had only been mentally strong like you, then they would not have taken the cowardly way out by giving up and being paralyzed by depression and hopelessness.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
That’s wrong — you should put the BLAME ON NAZIS and SOCIAL INJUSTICE, not on the victims who should get only our compassion.<\/p>\n
It is simply NOT true for everyone \u2013 sometimes \u201cwhat doesn\u2019t kill you\u201d DESTROYS you and you are unable to piece together the shattered pieces of your life.”<\/p>\n
For the second half of this page, please watch this clip, and then answer the question, below<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=R3j3Wk711zYImagine if Rodney Hulin was \u2013 just moments before he is about to try to take his life \u2013 visited by Dr. Frankl, who gave him his best argument for why life always has meaning. <\/p>\n
Dr. Frankl used every argument he could think of, including that just like he thought to himself in the death camps, \u2018I look forward to adding in these observations into my future books and lectures,\u2019 so too did people like Stephen Donaldson https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stephen_Donaldson_(activist) \u2013 also a prison rape survivor \u2013 transformed that pain into a human rights organization that he formed, Stop Prisoner Rape (now called Just Detention International (https:\/\/justdetention.org\/), which advocates for an end to sexual violence behind bars. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou, too, can transform this pain into a personal triumph of survival and, one day, as a means to help others who need you!,\u201d Dr. Frankl pleaded. <\/p>\n
Rodney responds back with:<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you doctor, but that is of no help to me. To me, these horrid conditions I am in are not tolerable for even one more moment. NOT ONE MORE MOMENT! I mean no offense, but I MUST exit my life\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Frankl suspects he didn\u2019t get through to him, so he instinctually mumbles a quick prayer for some kind of help…<\/p>\n
Either serendipitously or miraculously (depending on how you see it), YOU happen to walk by Rodney\u2019s cell on your volunteer job teaching employment skills to prisoners about to be released. <\/p>\n
You immediately recognize Dr. Frankl and smile at him with a slightly puzzled look on your face (wondering why you would run into such a towering thinker here?) \u2013 he then says \u201cThere\u2019s no time to explain!\u201d and frantically gestures to join him in ONE LAST DESPERATE ATTEMPT to try to reach Rodney. You understand immediately what is going on when you see the pain in Rodney\u2019s eyes. <\/p>\n
This is it. Just a few moments left to go, before visiting hours end, to make the case that life is still meaningful under totally horrible conditions. <\/p>\n
What would you say to Rodney? <\/p>\n
Would you feel justified in saying ANYTHING, since you are not in his shoes? <\/p>\n
(But, if so, isn\u2019t saying nothing also something \u2013 isn\u2019t your silence a message to him? Isn\u2019t silence just trying to avoid your responsibility? Or is silence the wisest approach, since it respects the power that Rodney has to make his own decision about whether to live, thus showing Rodney that he DOES have control in this \u2018powerless\u2019 situation. Maybe that would help him regain his sense self-respect, even while you are gambling that he does not exercise that power in a self-destructive way\u2026) <\/p>\n
What would you do? PLEASE BE SPECIFIC, AND SAY WHY. <\/p>\n
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS<\/p>\n
After doing all of these readings and watching the movies, please write your paper in this format:<\/p>\n
1)\u00a0In terms of citations, please use this style: (Author, Page Number); if there are no pages, please use the (paragraph number) method, referring to the number of the paragraph, in the essay, you are referencing, such as: \u201cMorality is perplexing,\u201d he said (paragraph 4). As long as I know where it is coming from, then you will be fine. Always give credit to your sources, and\u00a0please do not do anything remotely resembling plagiarism\u00a0(including having others write your paper for you), since it cheats you out of an honest education and can risk your academic career with serious repercussions (all professors are encouraged to report all instances of suspected plagiarism). Remember that your professors know your writing level and style by now, and we are told to report all instances of suspected plagiarism.<\/p>\n
2)\u00a0Please use the following specifications for your paper: font size 12, one inch margins all around, double spaced, times new roman font, avoid using all bold or all capitalization, and double check for spelling and grammar problems. No cover page is necessary.\u00a0You do not need a title; please just put your name on the very top line of the first page. You can treat each page as separate from the others, so no transitions or introductions are necessary.\u00a0To get full credit, please be sure to follow all of these conditions.<\/p>\n
3) Again, please list your name only\u00a0on the very top of the first page (please do not list date, course name, title, etc.).<\/p>\n
4)\u00a0Again,\u00a0no late papers accepted, so please plan to turn the paper in early in CANVAS, under \u201cAssignments.\u201d<\/p>\n
5)\u00a0I encourage you to start on your paper immediately, so you do not rush your paper. Please try to hand in something you are proud of. A quality paper, as well as a hurried paper, are easy to spot!<\/p>\n
6)\u00a0Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions along the way. Writing a paper is work, of course, but you should also enjoy getting the opportunity to analyze a point of view and get clear about your own philosophical positions. (Always being open to another point of view, remaining critical of all views especially one\u2019s own, and avoiding dogmatism are the hallmarks of a true philosopher, and a thinking person in general.) So try to enjoy the process of philosophizing\u00a0and thinking deeply on these topics.<\/p>\n
7)\u00a0It will be impossible to pass this paper without showing a significant understanding of EVERY article and movie covered, so please do not skip any of the material.<\/p>\n
8) Good luck!\u00a0And, again, please email if you\u00a0have any questions or concerns.<\/p>\n
****ALL MATERIAL MAY APPEAR ON THE FINAL EXAM****<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TERM PAPER INSTRUCTIONS Ethics Please follow all the instructions for this paper, as found in the syllabus, including the due<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n