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Instructions: Please write a 4-5 page paper (maximum 1500 words) on the following topics. Papers should be in Times New Roman font, size 12, double spaced, and paginated. Your essay should demonstrate a sustained and clear argument. Do not waste space with unnecessary quotations and summary or with sources outside of those we read. Any sentence that refers to something specific in the text must be cited properly (and any good paper should have citations). Use every single sentence to build your response to the prompt and support your thesis.
Essays will be graded for whether they (a) respond adequately to the prompt (or otherwise approved topic); (b) fairly engages with the text and does not grossly (or intentionally) misinterpret; (c) provides a clear and lucid argument; (d) are well written and organized.
Paper Guidelines:
The goal of your essay is to persuade your audience (i.e., Me) that your interesting argument is valid. I emphasize that your paper must be an argument, it must be interesting, and it must be your own.
First, you need to write with an argument in mind. You should craft a thesis, present the relevant evidence in our texts that support your claim, and explain precisely how your citations support the claim you set forth. A good argumentative thesis is one that someone could reasonably oppose and attempt to disprove. It is a bad argument (or not an argument at all) if I could not reasonably oppose it.
Second, your thesis should be interesting. Your paper should not be taken up with trying to prove something obvious like this: “Plato and Aristotle have different ideas of justice.” You should also not say something outrageously broad like this: “Since the dawn of Western civilization humans have tried to organize cities well.” Are you actually going to talk, insightfully, about all of Western civilization in a few pages? Good luck.
A good thesis should be driven by close reading and scrutiny of argument. Look for problems of terminology. Look for unintended or undiscussed implications of the texts. Look for unexamined premises or intuitions. Do not merely regurgitate texts, as you did in your first micro-essay. You should instead craft original, incisive arguments of your own, using the texts (and your thoughts and criticisms and reconstructions) as your tools.
Essay prompt:
The attached PDF tells the (true) story of a shipwreck and the dire choices presented to the survivors (cannibalism was involved). Read the prompt in detail and consider the accompanying questions. Using the texts we’ve read so far (Kant and Bentham being the most directly relevant), provide an answer that argues whether the choice(s) made were morally defensible or not. All circumstantial factors are relevant.
The texts that we have read:
1/25: Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, First section
1/30: Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Second section
2/1: Bentham, selections from Introduction to the Principles of Morals*, Preface, Ch. 1, 3-5, 7, 17 (until “Branches of Jurisprudence”)
Bentham, “Anarchical Fallacies”, “Short Review of the [US] Declaration”, “Emancipate your colonies!” (skim)