Peter Singer’s Ethics
Order Instructions:
Week 2
Assignment due Sunday Feb 15, 2015 one page
To complete the following assignment, go to this week’s Assignment link in the left navigation.
1. Argument Outline
Please choose one of the following videos:
o Peter Singer’s Ethics
o Slavoj Zizek in Examined Life
o Martin Luther King Jr. on NBC’s Meet the Press in 1965
o Alan Keyes v. Barack Obama debate on death penalty
For this assignment, you will outline at least one of the arguments that you believe are made in the video you selected. In your outline:
o Identify the issue that is addressed and the conclusion that is presented.
o Identify the premises that are given in support of that conclusion.
o Explain whether or not you think the argument is convincing by presenting your reasons for this position. If you do not have evidence for your position, you should consult scholarly materials that relate to the position you present.
Here is an example of an outline about an argument from the Monty Python Argument Clinic video. Utilize the same structure found in the example, but be sure to provide enough detail to satisfactorily complete all aspects of the prompt.
There is no minimum word count, but you must include a title page and reference page in APA style. The only required resource for this assignment is the multimedia source you chose to analyze. This should be the source that you primarily use to complete the assignment. Secondary sources are welcome but not necessary, and they should not be used in place of the argument piece you selected.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Argument Outline
Peter Singer’s Ethics
The issue that is being addressed in this argument is the role that is currently being played by the affluent in society towards the alleviation of the suffering of the poor in society. The proponent of this school of thought is of the opinion that the loss or expense incurred wealthy in society is nothing compared to the gain that will be realized by the austere who will be on the receiving end of this help.
Peter Singer, the Australian Philosopher published what he termed as ‘Practical Ethics’ in 1993. This publication was basically made with the sole aim of convincing the affluent in society to give towards charitable causes. His principles are based on the doing of the greater good through minimizing pain and in the process alleviating pleasure (Singer, 1972).
The Premises that the author takes are dependent on the relative positions of the two parties.
The first premise he puts forward is the fact that everyone who has even abit of surplus is morally destitute. This is because anything extra that they have could be used to improve the welfare of the poor.
Another premise that he forwards is that all suffering experienced by each and every organism is the same and there is no form of suffering that is more special than the other. This means that animal suffering is just as grave as that experienced by humans (Singer, 1974).
I agree only partially with the conclusion. The reason why this is partial is the fact that it is indeed morally upright to help out the less fortunate. I however disagree with it too in that the strict application of this is bound to create laziness and also discourage hard work which leads to wealth.
References
Singer, P. (1972). Famine, affluence, and morality. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 229-243.
Singer, P. (1974). All Animals Are Equal.
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