week of December 2:  Please post any questions you have regarding the final exam HERE!!!

week of December 2:

Prompt 1:  Please write commentaries on two separate presentations from tonight.  Please also respond to one commentary.

week of Nov 18: Read one of the assigned articles regarding the meaning of life.  What do you take away from the article?  Does this give you any meaningful guidance or information to assist you personally in finding meaning in life?

week of November 11:  Next week we will be discussing the issue of abortion.  In what cases does Judith Jarvis Thomson see abortions as morally permissible?  In what cases does she not find them permissible?  Do you agree with her view?  Why or why not?

week of November 4:  Singer argues that we ought to give a whole lot more to the poor than we do.  How much does he think that we should give to the poor exactly?  Do you agree with his argument?  Why or why not? 

week of October 28:  On Monday of next week, you have your second test!!!!!!! Please post your questions or queries as well as your answers to other's queries here!!

You should be able to answer these study questions:

            Definitions:

natural evil, moral evil, “good 1”, “good 2”, “evil 1”, “evil 2”, “free will definition 1”, “free will definition 2”, moral agent, moral patient, intrinsic good, extrinsic good, categorical imperative, hypothetical imperative

Longer questions:

1. State and explain the atheist’s argument. What is it trying to prove?
   1. Are all of the premises true? Explain.
   2. Do they lead to the conclusion? Explain.
   3. Is the argument sound? Explain.
2. State and explain the argument posed as the Problem of Evil.
   1. What conflict underlies this argument?
   2. Why is there a conflict?
   3. What are the three GENERAL ways one might resolve the conflict?
   4. What is the argument trying to prove?
   5. What are three specific ways to deny that there is any evil in the world? Explain and evaluate each of these.
   6. What are specific ways to deny that there is any conflict between belief in God and belief that evil exists? Explain and evaluate these.
3. State and explain Pascal’s wager. What is Pascal trying to prove? What is his wager matrix? Draw and explain it.
4. 1. For each of the following objections: I. Explain it. II. Explain Lycan and Schlesinger’s reply to it. III. Evaluate L and S’s replies.
      1. My beliefs are not under my control.
      2. God would not reward a wagerer.
      3. The probability of theism being correct is not 50%.
      4. If I bet on theism, and there is no God, then my life is based on a lie.
      5. The Martyrdom Objection (Redraw the matrix to explain this objection)
      6. The Many God Objection
5. State, explain, and evaluate the Anthropic argument.
6. State, explain, and evaluate the Atheist’s argument.
   
   

CULTURAL RELATIVISM (CR):

1. Describe some examples of how cultures vary.
2. Explain the viewpoints/main tenets of CR.
3. Explain and evaluate the Cultural Differences argument.
4. Explain thoroughly the problems with CR.
5. What can CR teach us?

HEDONISTIC UTILITARIANISM

1. What is HU? What does it count as intrinsically good? To whom does it apply?
2. How does an HU go about doing a right act? Explain with an example.
3. Explain all of the problems with HU.

KANTIANISM

1. Explain Kant’s Supreme Categorical Imperative.
2. How does Kant judge the rightness of an act?
3. What four maxims does Kant use as examples?
4. Explain in full the problems with Kantian moral theory.

week of October 20:  After having heard about Kant's moral philosophy, think carefully about what you believe makes something morally right or good.  Do you believe it is one's motives?  The consequences of what one does?  The hardship involved?  Explain and justify your view.