Intro to Philosophy Take Home Exam

Intro to Philosophy

Take Home Exam
Spring 2011
Dr.Berg

You may use all of your course notes and the assigned text. Do not use any other source for this exam. It is essentially an ethics exam at this point so you are on your honor. If I locate a source outside the scope listed above, you will fail this exam and the possibility of passing the class is low. If you cite me or our text, use the rules you learned in Rhet 102 or consult the CLE. Do not work together. Answer both questions. Each question is worth 50 points. Prepare your answers in a word document and email it to Eric.Berg@mac.edu by 11am Saturday, April 30. Make sure you answer these questions with a very high level of precision (pre•ci•sion (pr-s zh n) n. 1. The state or quality of being precise; exactness) and be thorough (thor•ough (thûr, th r) adj. 1. Exhaustively complete).

1. Kant

Explain why (1) lying, (2) stealing, and (3) murder are wrong in Kant's theory, using the Categorical Imperative. Does Kant provide a convincing account why these actions are wrong? Why or why not? Does Kant provide a convincing account of how to explain the motivation to do or to not do each of these actions? Why or why not? Raise one objection to Kantian theory and create an example to demonstrate the seriousness of your objection. Do you see any connection to either Plato or Aristotle? Select one (Plato or Aristotle) and tell me where and or how you see a connection.

2. Mill

Using Mill’s moral theory of Utilitarianism (consequentialism) solve the following moral dilemmas: (1) Cheating on this exam. (2) Stealing from MacMurray College. (3) American intervention in Libya. Raise one objection to Mill’s moral theory and demonstrate with an exhaustive example. Fully illuminate one main point where Kant and Mill differ on basic points of moral theory (agent v. action, intention v. consequences, the role of happiness, etc). Do you see any connection to either Plato or Aristotle? Select one (Plato or Aristotle) and tell me where and or how you see a connection.