Applying Philosophy To Life

Assume that you are interviewing for a position as chair of a newly established ethics oversight committee for one of the following:

1. Investment firm that offers advice and products to public retirement funds
2. Hospital
3. Private university
4. State legislative body

Analyze three (3) philosophies addressed in the textbook (Chapters 1-7) that you believe should guide decisions. Analyze one (1) philosophy that you believe would be extremely detrimental for the organization to use in making decisions.

Textbook title: Vice and Virtue by Christina H. Sommers and Fred Sommers

Chapter and essays titles:

CH1: Good and Evil (Philip Hallie, “From Cruelty to Goodness”, Anne Applebaum, “Strategies for Survival”, Josiah Royce, “The Moral Insight”)

CH2: Is it all relative? (Herodotus, “Morality As Custom”, Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban, “Cultural Relativism and Universal Rights”, Lawrence Adam Lengbeyer, “An Alternative to Moral Relativism”, Louis Pojman, “Who’s to Judge”, Martin Luther King Jr., “I have a Dream”)

CH3: Morality ad Self-Interest (Plato, “The Ring of Gyges”, Thomas Hobbs, “The State of Men without Civil Society”, David Hume, “Of Self-Love”, James Rachels, “Egoism and Moral Skepticism”, Colin McGinn, “Why Not Be a Bad Person?” )

CH4: Moral Doctrines and Moral Theories (The Judeo-Christian Tradition, John Stuart Mill, “Utilitarianism”, John Harris, “The Survival Lottery”, David Hume, “Of Benevolence”)

CH5: Virtue (Aristotle, “Happiness and the Virtues”, Saint Augustine, “Virtue and the Human Soul”, Epictetus, “The Art of Living”, Philippa Foot, “Virtues and Vices”)

CH6: Vice (Plutarch, “Vice”, Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Dante Alighieri, “The Hypocrites”, Immanuel Kant, “Jealousy, Envy, and Grudge”)

CH7: Morality and Social Policy (Mary Anne Warren, “On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion”, Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”, Robert K. Fullinwider, “Affirmative Action and Fairness”)

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Provide a rationale for selecting this organization, explaining at least two (2) reasons the organization needs ethics oversight.
2. Analyze the first philosophy, (Chapters 1-7), discussing its proponents and two (2) major principles of the philosophy and how they apply to decisions that will need to be made.
3. Analyze the second philosophy, (Chapters 1-7), discussing its proponents and two (2) major principles of the philosophy and how they apply to decisions that will need to be made.
4. Analyze the third philosophy, (Chapters 1-7), discussing its proponents and two (2) major principles of the philosophy and how they apply to decisions that will need to be made.
5. Analyze a philosophy that would be detrimental, (Chapters 1-7), discussing its proponents and two (2) major principles of the philosophy and how they would be detrimental to decisions that will need to be made.
6. Provide at least five (5) credible, external academic references (at least one (1) source for each criterion) to support your view about the need for and use of these philosophies to make ethical decisions for the organization. (Do not use such open sources as Wikipedia, About, Ask.)

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

– Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

– Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Explain the views of the main philosophers and the primary ethical concepts associated with each of the major ethical theories presented in the course.
• Recognize basic ethical theories, such as Divine Command Theory, Relativism, Utilitarianism, Kantianism, Social Contract Theory, Egoism, and Virtue Ethics.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how to examine questions and issues from diverse ethical perspectives and how these different ethical perspectives can be applied to evaluate contemporary ethical dilemmas.
• Demonstrate recognition of the role and function of moral arguments addressing traditional and contemporary moral issues.
• Apply ethical reasoning to resolve selected important moral problems in everyday situations.
• Present complex ethical ideas, theories, and perspectives fairly, objectively, and critically.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in ethics.
• Write clearly and concisely about ethics using proper writing mechanics.