5-2 Final Project Prospectus philosophy
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Southern New Hampshire University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
210
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
7
Uploaded by Kfarrar1
1
5-2 Final Project Milestone: Final Project Prospectus
5-2 Final Project Milestone: Final Project Prospectus
Kari Farrar
07/31/2022
PHL-210 Intro to Philosophy
Ronald Davenport, Ph. D.
2
5-2 Final Project Milestone: Final Project Prospectus
1.
Briefly explain the problem you have chosen. How does it arise, and what issues
does it present?
I chose the topic of morality and ethics; why should we be moral? This issue arises because
people have choices to do what is right or do what is wrong. Morality, at its core, is the
decision to be good. So, why should people do the right thing when given a choice? What
constitutes right from wrong, and do these ideas change over cultures, locations, groups, or
families? The problems that arise with morality are many. Even though I believe most people
are inherently good, things such as lying, stealing, and even hurting someone when there
seems to be a good motive for it seem appealing at times. When a person is homeless and
starving, taking a bag of chips may seem better than taking the high ground and remaining
moral. Kant’s take on morality is that moral concepts such as “duty” and “goodwill” require
us to be free and autonomous, providing that morality is not an illusion (Johnson & Cureton,
2022). He goes even further to say that with casual determinism (every event having a
cause), how can we truly have the freedom that morality presupposes?
2.
What three resources have you chosen to use as you develop your final essay?
Provide full bibliographic information AND a brief statement (three sentences
maximum) of the main point of each of them. Remember that these should be
philosophers with relevant opinions on this topic.
1.
Nielsen, K. (1984). Why Should I Be Moral? Revisited. American Philosophical
Quarterly, 21(1), 81–91.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/20014031
This journal article delves into morality before answering why we should be moral. It starts
by talking about how morality is the same as choosing to do what is right and how doing that
shouldn’t even be a question. Further, it gives reasons for morality, such as duty, and goes
3
5-2 Final Project Milestone: Final Project Prospectus
even deeper by asking, even when we understand that being moral is the same as acting
rationally, why should we do it?
2.
Beatrix Himmelmann, & Robert Louden. (2015). Why Be Moral? De Gruyter.
This e-book asks why we have to be moral and whether these reasons are more
compelling than those to pursue immoral activities. This book answers these questions in
a collection of essays by many scholars in the field of philosophy. The ideas of Plato,
Socrates, Kant, Williams, and many other philosophers give a more comprehensive view
of the issue from different viewpoints.
3.
Durham, M., Warner, C. T. (2013, Aug 13). Why be moral: The rational basis for
morality.
Brigham Young University, Journal of Undergraduate Research.
Retrieved
from:
http://jur.byu.edu/?p=3015
This paper discusses how being moral is no different than being rational and how an
individual’s conception of reason is crucial in attempting to justify morality. Any attempt
to justify morality would need to be grounded in reason; otherwise, it is not justifiable.
Taking this thought even further, if morality is not grounded in reason itself, so that it is
never rational to be immoral, then character ultimately becomes irrelevant. If doing what
is reasonable is not the same as doing what is moral, why should we care about what one
should do morally?
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
4
5-2 Final Project Milestone: Final Project Prospectus
3.
What is your position on your chosen topic? State your position in one sentence and
provide five sentences maximum on why you take the position you take (your
reasoning).
We should be moral because it is built into the fabric of humanity. We are born into a world
where we are taught right from wrong at a very young age and that there are consequences
for every decision we make, good or bad. Being self-serving despite our moral duty only
brings adverse effects and ultimately leads to unhappiness. The Golden Rule also applies to
morality because to be moral; we must care about and respect the lives of others and being
emotionally intelligent about how behaving immorally would affect others and ourselves.
Right and wrong may differ across cultures, states, countries, genders, and societal roles, but
most people follow a moral code, and going against the majority will only result in conflict.
4.
What is an objection to your own position? State the objection and explain its
significance.
Some say that moral institutions are unreliable guides (Minton, 2015). Things such as
abortion, homosexuality, war, and the death penalty have differences in opinion concerning
their morality. If people’s moral intuitions are telling them different things, how can we trust
our ideas of what is right and wrong? When doing something immoral in our culture may not
be immoral worldwide, what makes it different here and not there? For instance, cannibalism
is evil and repulsive in the United States, but some primitive tribes engage in it without
problems (Minton, 2015). In other parts of the world, when a woman marries a man, she also
has to marry his brothers, taking turns spending nights with each one of them. Here in the
U.S., having more than one partner is looked down upon, and being married to more than one
5
5-2 Final Project Milestone: Final Project Prospectus
person is illegal. How can we establish a concrete set of moral norms with these different
views on moral behavior?
5.
Expand on the objection you provided in question #4 in three to four sentences. This
is where you go beyond your process for selecting that objection and respond to it in
terms of your position. Ensure that your response here identifies the objection,
illustrates it using an example or fact from question #2, and responds to it with not only
your criteria for why your position is a logical response to this objection but uses one of
the pieces of evidence or facts from #2.
The objection here is that moral institutions aren’t reliable guides and, therefore, cannot be
trusted. One example might be that religious people believe homosexuality is immoral and a
sin. If this is the case, can homosexual individuals not be moral people? There are a set of
moral norms in every culture across the world, and some issues remain controversial.
Regardless of cultural morals, some sub-cultures, such as different religions, will always
have conflicting views. Religions have moral codes to live by and don’t always align with the
culture. People who believe in God believe that without God, moral values and duties do not
exist (Minton, 2015). The argument here is not whether something is moral or immoral, such
as homosexuality. That is only a difference in opinion and belief. Every one of us grew up
being taught right from wrong, and many of those morals may be universal, while some
might be specific to our family views. Regardless, the reasons for following these moral
principles, whatever they may be, are still the same. Not only is it our duty to be moral, but in
doing so, you remain in conjunction with everyone else or the majority of people, which may
increase the likelihood of satisfying your self-interests (Nielsen, 1984). Christoph Horn
similarly explains that “moral agency is characterized as advantageous to the agent himself”
6
5-2 Final Project Milestone: Final Project Prospectus
(Himmelman & Louden, 2015). Even Kant tells us that following the moral law leads to
happiness. Morality isn’t just a duty; it is a quality held in high regard. When an individual is
known to be moral and virtuous, they are more easily liked, trusted, and called upon for
advice. So, in being moral, it may be easier to acquire a job, find a mate, buy a house, get a
loan, and so on because morality ensures that a person will stick to their principles and
follow through on their obligations. Immanuel Kant ascertains that being moral is an
inalienable part of being human and not just related to culture or an attempt to keep society
functional (Durham & Warner, 2013). He believes that “being moral is grounded in the
nature of rationality, and any rational being just by its rationality is committed to obeying
objective moral laws.” Humans want to be moral, rational, reasonable, and proper. We use
our experiences to correct our behaviors to align our ideas with what we know to be correct,
exemplary, or acceptable. I have yet to meet someone who explicitly goes against everything
they know to be right without any motive. We all strive to be good and to be seen as good by
others. It is part of what makes us human.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
7
5-2 Final Project Milestone: Final Project Prospectus
References
Beatrix Himmelmann, & Robert Louden. (2015). Why Be Moral? De Gruyter.
Durham, M., Warner, C. T. (2013, Aug 13). Why be moral: The rational basis for morality. Brigham
Young University, Journal of Undergraduate Research. Retrieved from:
http://jur.byu.edu/?
p=3015
Nielsen, K. (1984). Why Should I Be Moral? Revisited. American Philosophical Quarterly, 21(1), 81–
91. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20014031
Minton, E. (2015, July 17). Addressing arguments against the moral argument’s second premise.
Cerebral Faith.
Retrieved from:
https://cerebralfaith.net/addressing-arguments-against-mora/