2. Should minors’ access to sexual materials be limited?

3. Is pornography art (and therefore protected under First Amendment rights) or is it sexual exploitation (and not protected)?

1. Is euthanasia murder?

2. What if a person is very close to entering the latter stages of a terminal illness, would you help them end their life?

3. Should a physician assist a person in ending his/her life at his/her request?

2. Is refusing homosexuals the right to marriage a violation of their equal rights?

3. What do you think marriage is all about?

4. Do you feel a domestic partnership and a marriage are the same thing? Explain.

1.) Do you believe that the Government or parents have the right over children's medical concerns?

2.) Do you think if a young teenage girl was given an HPV vaccine she would become promiscious?

3.) How long do you think medicine(s) should be tested before released to the public?

4. Do you feel that if there were a vaccine available for men, that it should be made mandatory for them to receive it as well?

2. What are the advantages or disadvantages of illegally downloading music (pirating)?

3. What is the distinction between legally and illegally downloading music?

4. Do you think downloading music illegally is stealing? If so, is it morally impermissible?

2. Some argue that eating animal meat is harmful to the environment and our bodies. Could we ever change our eating habits completely in order to change these so-called bad effects?

3. What are some justifications for using animals to prolong the human race? (such as animal experimenting for medicines)

4. What is your stance on animal rights? What should or shouldn't be done in every aspect of animal rights? (animal testing, eating meat, hunting, etc)

You work for the CIA. You have received word that there will be a terrorist strike in the next three days. It is known that the nature of the attack will be a nuclear detonation in one of the United State’s most heavily populated areas. A day prior to the attack, you receive word that the nuclear bomb is set to go off in either Los Angeles or New York. You have a suspect in custody believed to be one of the members of the terrorist group. You have tried a wide variety of interrogation methods against the suspect, but the suspect still won’t talk. There are now only twelve hours before the attack. You need to know where the bomb is going to go off very soon if there is to be any hope of stopping it. Another member of your investigation suggests the use of torture as a means of getting the information out of the suspect. Do you follow their advice?

1b. If you answered yes to the prior question, and the information you gained from the suspect turned out to be wrong and you were unable to prevent the attack, do you believe you are still justified in your prior use of torture as an interrogation method?

2. Do you believe the use of torture as an interrogation method produces accurate information?

3. Are there any circumstances where torture is permissible?

4. Explain why you agree/disagree with the following statements: “The ends always justify the means” and “The needs of the many always outweigh the needs of the few.”

Even though you are inside the machine, it's as if you were living in the real world. On top of that, you are free to leave the machine at any time, although no one ever has.

Would you plug yourself into this Happiness Machine? Why or why not?

2. Will attempting to stop Global Warming have a worse result than letting it continue?

3. Are there any benefits to Global Warming?

4. How does Global Warming affect us as individuals? as a species? as a planet?

2. What are some reasons against the legalization of marijuana?

3. What, if any, health factors might contribute to the decision to legalize marijuana?

4. Is the government justified in keeping marijuana illegal when alcohol consumption is legal?

5. Should marijuana use be legal?

What are your initial reactions to the practice of female circumcision?

Do you ever think that right and wrong actions are determined by a society or culture? If so, then do you think that practices like female circumcision ought to continue? What justification can you give for continuing this practice?

We often hear that we ought to be tolerant of other cultures? Should we be tolerant of all of a culutre's actions? Are some practices really not ethically significant and we should practice tolerance in these cases? Do you have any examples?

Also, if you were wondering how current this issue is, the New York Times published an article recently on female circumcision in Egypt. The link is here.

What do you think? What does Kai think?

What is Euthyphro's answer?

Substitute for “piety” the word “just” or “good”. And for “impiety” substitute “unjust” or “bad”. In essence, the dialogue is about what makes for the good or bad.

Suppose God were to say it is permissible to torture babies for fun? Would torturing babies for fun really be permissible? How must Euthyphro answer this question?

On top of that, which god and religion is the authority for determining moral behavior? Check out this web site for a list of some of the major religions.

The purpose of this blog page is to provide a place for class announcements, clarifications of lectures and assignments, and discussion of issues raised in and out of class. Students can comment on any of the postings or to any of the comments. This blog page is also where you are to make your pre-presentation responses.

This is a great tool for learning more about and doing philosophy by discussing philosophical issues with your peers. I strongly suggest that you visit this blog page on a regular basis--preferably the day before each class so you are prepared for the next day's lecture and discussion.