Lecture 8: Deontology and Famine Onora O Neill Kantian Deliberations on Famine Problems Peter Horban Writing a Philosophy Paper 1
Agenda 1. Criticisms of Deontology 2. Trolley Problems 3. Deontology and Famine 4. Writing a Philosophy Paper 2
Criticisms of Deontology 1. No concern for agents that are not rational 2. Overemphasis on right intentions? 3. Conflicts of duties 4. Murderer at the door 5. Problems with consent? 3
Criticisms of Deontology 1. No concern for agents that are not rational, such as infants, mentally disabled, or animals. 4
Criticisms of Deontology 2. Does Kant overemphasize having the right intentions and acting from a sense of duty? What if we do the right thing out of instinct, habit, or sympathy? 5
Criticisms of Deontology 3. How should we weigh between duties when they conflict? 6
Criticisms of Deontology 4. What if a murderer comes to your door and asks where your friend is? You know the murderer wants to kill your friend and your friend is inside. Should you lie? 7
Criticisms of Deontology 5. Can we treat someone immorally even if they consent to it? 8
Trolley Problems 9
Trolley Problems 10
Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas Dominican Friar and Catholic Priest Synthesized Aristotle s Philosophy with Christianity Doctrine of Double Effect Intended versus Foreseen Consequences 1225-1274 11
Deontology and Famine Questions for Discussion: 1. How do deontological recommendations on famine problems differ from utilitarian prescriptions? How do they differ from Peter Singer s principle: If it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it (2)? 2. What is the difference between personal responsibilities and role responsibilities? How does a Kantian understand the relationship between the two types of responsibilities? 3. Does the distinction between duties of justice and duties of beneficence help to illuminate what ought to be done when it comes to famine relief? 12
Writing a Philosophy Paper A philosophy paper is a reasoned defense of a thesis that uses rational persuasion. Make arguments! Be clear, precise, and concise. o Clear: do not confuse your reader. o Precise: choose your words very carefully. o Concise: argue straightforwardly and without repetition. Define key terms. o For example, A supererogatory act is an act that goes above and beyond the call of duty. It is an act that is good to do but you are not acting wrongly if you fail to do it. 13
Exegesis Explain a philosopher s thesis and main argument in your own words. Avoid plagiarism. o One strategy: After reading the author s work a couple of times, put the article away completely and try to summarize the author s main argument in your own words. o Even when you paraphrase an author, you need to cite page numbers. Don t overuse quotations. Find key quotes that strengthen your exegesis. Don t use lengthy quotations. Just cite the important and relevant parts of the quote. Every time you use a quotation, you need to also offer up an interpretation of what you think the quotation means. 14
Evaluation Know your thesis. Have a clear stance that you can state clearly in one sentence. o Good: Mohism is best ethical theory. o Bad: I agree with Mohism that inclusive care is valuable, but I also think the impartiality of utilitarianism is attractive. Demonstrate original thinking. Give reasons for your thesis. Raise objections, criticisms, and questions about an author s position. Consider plausible objections to your position and respond to them. o This is a great way to demonstrate original thinking especially when you agree with an author. Can you respond to an objection that the author herself did not consider? The exegesis and evaluation sections of your midterm paper will be worth equal amounts in terms of your grade. The length (and quality) of each section should likewise be roughly equal. 15
Organization No fluff in your introduction! Get straight to the point. NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: o There are many different ethical theories that philosophers have pondered over the millennia. o John Stuart Mill was one of the most famous moral philosophers who defended utilitarianism. BETTER: Rules by themselves are never sufficient to guide human action in the face of the complexities and nuances of everyday moral life. Virtue ethics is the best approach to ethics because it recognizes this fact and countenances practical wisdom in order to develop people s ethical sensitivity in varying circumstances. 16
Organization Your introduction/thesis paragraph should include: 1. Your thesis statement. 2. A roadmap of the structure of your paper. A map of where you will go in your paper. It should tell your reader your main reasons for defending your thesis. Roughly, a roadmap should comprise of a summary of each of your topic sentences. 3. The roadmap shouldn t simply gesture at what you are going to do in the paper. It needs to actually articulate the substance of your arguments. The reader should already know what your main arguments are after reading your first paragraph NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: And then I will compare utilitarianism to deontology and the formula of the end in itself, showing that utilitarianism is better than deontology. BETTER: And then I will argue that utilitarianism is better than deontology as an ethical theory because the greatest happiness principle gives clearer guidance on how to act in cases of moral conflict than the formula of the end in itself. 17
Organization Every paragraph of your paper should make a distinct point and have a clear topic sentence. o Make sure you aren t saying the same thing in two different paragraphs. o Make sure you give a complete point in each paragraph. Your ideas should flow smoothly from one paragraph to the next. Your conclusion should reiterate your thesis and summarize your main points/arguments. 18
Writing Process Reread readings, lectures, and notes. I would suggest NOT looking at other resources online: 1. It may hinder your ability to think on your own. You will be tempted to just use ideas that you ve read elsewhere. This increases the chance that you are plagiarizing. 2. Not all resources are created equal. You may be reading bad philosophy. Go back and forth between generating ideas and organizing ideas. Generating Ideas Organizing Ideas Brainstorm: Make a list of any idea or question that comes into your head about the topic. They can be contradictory. Free-write: Sit down and continuously write about your ideas on the topic. Pay no attention to grammar or spelling. Outline: Create a bulleted outline with your thesis sentence, topic sentences, conclusion, supporting ideas, and quotations. Diagram: Create a map or diagram that visually represents connections between ideas. 19
Writing Process Edit: correcting spelling, grammar, and formatting. Revise: changing the content of what you said and how you said it. Rewrite: starting whole sections of your paper from scratch to see if you can write a better version of it. 20
MLA Citation Guidelines Page numbers should be AFTER QUOTATION MARKS AND BEFORE PERIODS. You do not need to put commas, pages, or pgs. in your in-text citations Plato wrote (regarding what Socrates said), As the soul is immortal, has been born often and has seen all things here and in the underworld, there is nothing which it has not learned (15). As the soul is immoral, has been born often and has seen all things here and in the underworld, there is nothing which it has not learned (Plato 15). https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/ 21