Ethics Position Papers

Fall Semester 2001

  • Should our Conscience Determine What Actions are Morally Right and Wrong?
  • What is the difference between a moral and non-moral issue?
  • Should reason alone be used to determine which actions are morally right and which are morally wrong
  • Are there universal moral principles that are right for all persons at all times?
  • Is Acting Morally Necessary for Happiness?
  • Should We Act Morally Because of Divine Will?
  • Should we act morally only because it is to the overall advantage of society?
  • Is the fulfillment of desire an intrinsic good?
  • Is Bentham's Hedonistic Calculus Practicable?
  • Is knowledge an intrinsic good?
  • Is Beauty an Intrinsic Good?
  • Is Socrates dissatisfied better than a pig satisfied?
  • Is Pleasure merely a Side Product of Activity?
  • Is happiness just the sum of individual pleasures?
  • Are all human actions unconsciously and egoistically motivated?
  • Can all persons be happy ?
  • Can a distinction between a higher pleasure and a lower pleasure be maintained?
  • Can we always distinguish between the things in our control and the things outside our control, as the Stoics believe?
  • Some people cannot be happy
  • What does it mean to realize your potential?
  • Are all moral qualities means between extremes?
  • In ethics, do the ends ever justify the means?