Write a paper on one of the topics below (A, B, or C). Don’t write on all of them, just one. Your paper should be between 1000-1500 words total (include a word count). Choose a title for your paper.
Papers must include a bibliography or works cited list with full bibliographical references. See this page for instructions.
Papers will be checked for material that comes from other sources. If you use a source, even through paraphrase, make sure to provide a citation and reference to a section or page number.
Whenever you make a claim about a text we read, make sure to provide at least one quotation or page citation from the text to provide evidence for what you say. This is true whether you are providing a direct quotation, or a paraphrase (in your own words).
For quotations, use this format:
Rousseau writes, “If, in the system of the universe, it is necessary to the preservation of mankind that there be a cycle of substance between man, animals and vegetation, then one individual’s particular evil contributes to the general good” (Rousseau 1997, 240).
If you paraphrase, use an in-text citation as well. For instance:
Leibniz thought God was limited in what he could do (Neiman 2015, 27).
A hint: it is easier to write Parts II through IV first, and then write the introductory paragraph (Part I). Part I summarizes what you’ve argued in the paper, and it is much easier to write once you’ve got the rest finished.
If you wish for your paper to be graded anonymously, do not put your name on your paper.
Make sure your paper has a clear thesis statement and an argument for your thesis. The Parts below specify exactly how to provide these for the paper. Your thesis should be your own, but it should also be backed up with evidence from reasoning and from the texts we’ve read.
Topic B. Animal Ethics and the Problem of Evil
Scott Aikin argues that environmental ethics broadens the scope of what deserves our moral concern, and thus makes the problem of evil more difficult.
Part I. State your thesis briefly (1-2 sentences): can we solve Aikin’s problem of evil based on environmental ethics? Then state briefly (1-2 sentences): and if so, how? if not, why not? You do not need to go into detail: you’ll do this below.
Part II. How does Aikin argue for broadening the scope of beings that deserve our moral concern? State the broader problem of evil Aikin raises. Give the premises and conclusion, providing evidence that these claims are in the text (quotations or paraphrases).
Part III. How does the broader scope in Part II deepen the problem of evil? For instance, why do the soul-making and free will defenses not work given the broader scope?
Part IV. Is there a solution to the environmental problem of evil that Aikin sketches in his paper, or is this problem not solvable? Your position on this is your thesis. Provide an argument for your thesis in this section, giving a specific set of reasons for the conclusion you will draw.
