Directions
Part 2 of the Essay Project will be a discussion of your guiding question using deontological thinking. In preparation for writing, you will need to consider how you would answer your question, on the deontological assumption that the moral rightness or wrongness of actions is determined by the agent’s motives for acting. Use Kant’s ethical theory as your framework. Consider following the Categorical Imperative and respecting the autonomy of persons as the proper standards for evaluating actions. Decide how those standards relate to the particular question you are posing, what you think the results of applying Kant’s theory would be, and what (if any) challenges you find in trying to apply that standard to come up with a definitive answer to your question. Then, write a short essay that takes your reader through that process.
In the essay, do the following:
Provide a one-paragraph introduction that tells the reader what the guiding question is, what answer you think a Kantian would give to the question, what your main claim (thesis) about the process of thinking through the issue from a Kantian standpoint is, and how the remaining paragraphs of the essay will provide support for that thesis.
Describe Kant’s ethical theory in enough detail for your reader to understand the basics of the view and what it tells us about making judgments concerning the moral status of actions.
Discuss the steps involved in the process of applying the theory to the issue in an attempt to answer your guiding question.
Reflect on the process itself, the results it yields in relation to your question, and your own reasons for accepting those results, rejecting them, or withholding judgment.
Provide a one-paragraph conclusion that reminds the reader what the guiding question is, what answer you think a Kantian would give to the question, and what your main claim (thesis) about the process of thinking through the issue from a Kantian standpoint is.
Tasks
This assignment is made up of several major tasks. The scores in parentheses for each task are based on the ratings and listed in the same order (full credit, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, unacceptable, no credit).
Introduction (15/12/8/5/0 PTS): Tell the reader what the guiding question is. Tell the reader what answer you think a Kantian would give to the question. Tell the reader what your main claim (thesis) about the process is. Tell your reader how the remaining paragraphs of the essay will provide support for that thesis.
Descriiption of Theory (25/20/15/10/0 PTS): Describe the main claim of the theory. Identify the key concepts involved in that claim. Explicate how each of these key concepts is defined within the context of the theory. Explain how the theory provides a tool for ethical deliberation.
Application of Theory (25/20/15/10/0 PTS): Discuss what, in general, you have to do in order to use the theory as a tool for answering your question. Discuss what specific facts need to be involved in the process. Explain what happens when you plug those facts into the formula provided.
Reflection on Results (25/20/15/10/0 PTS): Discuss the challenges you faced in using the formula to provide a definite answer to your question. Compare the answer the theory appears to provide to your own sense of what the right answer might be. Discuss what this process makes clear to you about the theory, the particular question, and the relation between the two.
Conclusion (10/8/6/4/0 PTS): Remind the reader what the guiding question was. Remind the reader what answer you think a Kantian would give to the question. Remind the reader what your main claim (thesis) about the process was.
