Download HU245 Ethics

HU245 Ethics
Week Four Seminar
Terrorism
Old Business! Let’s Review Some Basics
• Read the Announcements!!
-Any changes to assignment requirements
• Due Tuesday, end of day, no exceptions unless
arranged previously: Quiz, Seminar Option 2
• Work that can be submitted late (with penalty unless
arranged previously): Discussion Board, Debate Forum,
Position Papers
• If you’re having a bad week, e-mail me and we’ll negotiate.
More Old Business!
• Grading the Debate Forum:
-If all you offer is your personal opinion, B –
-The purpose of the course is to inform your opinions
not to change them
- To receive a higher grade, you must connect your
opinion to Unit Material and ethical theories to
support what you say.
Still More Old Business
• Unit 3 Discussion Board
- Again, it was not looking for your opinion on abortion
-You could give that without reading text or taking the
course
-It wanted you to evaluate moral arguments for their
techniques and effectiveness
-Note the underlying theories:
-Pro-choice is more utilitarian and situational
-Pro-life is more rights-based on absolute principles
Yet even more Old Business
• How was writing the Position Paper?
-Difficult to condense your thoughts?
More Thoughts on Absolute Morality
• Is it OK to drive 100 mph down a residential street?
-If no, why not?
-Absolute moral principles underlie our laws
• Absolute morality doesn’t depend on everyone following
it (what would be the point of laws or rules?) but does
depend on a societal consensus that a law is valid
• Language is important
-Distinction between killing (self-defense, war) and
murder. Debate is what’s murder (abortion, etc.)
-This is why we have Ethics!
How should we define terrorism?
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How do you define it?
How do terrorists define it?
Does terrorism always involve overt violence?
What are some of the ways power is involved?
One Definition
The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations defines terrorism
in the U.S. as:
The unlawful use of force and violence against persons or
property to intimidate or coerce a government, the
civilian population, or any segment thereof, in
furtherance of political or social objectives (28 C.F.R.
Section 0.85).
Goals of Terrorism
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Economic Aims
Social Aims
Political Aims
Religious Aims
Terrorist or Freedom Fighter?
• What is the difference?
Are all acts of terrorism, in all
forms, morally wrong?
• Are there terrorist acts in war?
• Are they justified?
Under which circumstances is
terrorism justified?
• Are there any?
What sorts of responses to terrorism are
morally permissible?
How Should We Treat Suspected
Terrorists?
• Is it ethical to use torture?
• Should they be treated like combatants or accused
criminals?
• How “rough” is too rough?
What ethical principles determine
which responses are
appropriate?
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Utilitarian considerations
Ethical egoism
Justice
Rights and liberty
Virtue
• Are there any peaceful solutions to
terrorism? If so, what are they?
Unit 4 Discussion Board
• What are some of the arguments used for and against
capital punishment? (You may want to complete some
additional research to add to your knowledge.) How
does the ethical debate on capital punishment touch on
the issues of the value of human life, human rights, and
human dignity? If you had a loved one who was
murdered, would you want to have the option of capital
punishment for the convicted murderer? Why or why
not?
Unit 4 Debate Forum
Watch the "Guantanamo Bay" video located in the “Acts of
Terrorism” You Decide presentation
• Poll Question: Should Guantanamo Bay be closed?
• Debate Questions: How should we treat suspected terrorists:
military combatants or civilian criminals? Should Guantanamo Bay
prison be closed? If so, where should they be taken? Your position
on this issue should be constructed as a developed paragraph.
Unit 4 Letter to Leader
-Option A: Compose a letter to the President regarding the
current war. In this letter, explain your position regarding the
ethics of war and responses to terrorism. In your explanation,
be sure to draw upon ethical concepts and reasons to
support your position. State what you believe should be done
and why. The letter should be one page in length, double
spaced, and free of grammatical errors.
-Option B: Compose a letter to your state governor regarding
the death penalty (find out if your state has a death penalty). In
this letter, explain your position regarding capital punishment. In
your explanation, be sure to draw upon ethical concepts
and reasons to support your position. State whether or not
the death penalty should be abolished and why.
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Summary of Unit 4 Assignments
Seminar
Quiz
Discussion Board (one thread)
Debate Forum
Position Paper
Questions???????