Pandemic Ethics

Due: Jan. 17th @ 11:59pm
Length: 1900-2100 words
Points: 300
Format: double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font.
You may use any style guide that you are familiar with (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.), however you are expected to use it accurately and consistently, and not mix the styles together.
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Since March of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to the lives of people all over the world. Many have lost jobs, had their businesses shut down, become sick, or perhaps even lost friends and family members to the virus. Children have been prevented from going to school, forced to wear masks, and remain physically distant from their peers and even older family members.

You may have also noticed that often government and health officials will employ ethical vocabulary when attempting to persuade others that their policy is a good thing and should be complied with. Wearing masks has been called a “patriotic duty,” getting vaccinated is described as “loving one’s neighbor,” and the state has a “right” to override individual liberties in order to make everyone safe. By contrast, those critical of intrusive government interventions will reject the claim that the government can suspend individual “liberty” for the sake of safety. Others will argue that forced mask-wearing or vaccination is a violation of their right to “bodily autonomy.” And alternatively, being compelled to shut down one’s business is stripping them of their “right to personal property.”

In this writing assignment, you will be asked to think and reflect about some of these issues more deeply, as well as apply what you’ve learned about moral theories and moral reasoning.

Specifically, you must compose an essay which addresses the following set of questions and issues:

1) Is someone behaving immorally if they refuse to get vaccinated or wear a mask during a pandemic? What duty does one have, if any, to take steps to lower another person’s risk of getting sick? How far does this duty extend, i.e., what kinds of sacrifices should individuals be expected to make to keep others from getting sick? Where do you draw the line?
2) Find at least two scholarly sources, one that agrees with your point of view and one that disagrees. What arguments did they make to support their case?
3) How would a Divine Command Theory, Egoism, Kantian, Utilitarian, and Natural Law supporter answer question 1
4) Which line of moral reasoning in (3) are you most in agreement with, and why? Please explain your answer.

Keep in mind that even though you are responding to different questions, your essay should be a unified whole with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Your basic answer to question (1) will reveal your thesis for this paper, i.e., the claim you are attempting to prove. Questions 2-4 are designed merely to help you add support, anticipate objections, and think about the issue in different ways. Ultimately, your main goal is to answer and justify your point of view on moral responsibilities during a pandemic.

The analysis must demonstrate careful refection, original thinking, attention to detail, and application of the reasoning strategies that were discussed at the beginning of class. Further, it is expected that students will implement:

(i) material taken from the textbook

(ii) material discussed in class

(iii) at least two scholarly sources outside the textbook written by a professional philosopher on a topic relevant to this issue

All sources must have scholarly credentials. Some professional websites or newspaper articles maybe appropriate, but books from academic presses and/or scholarly journal articles are preferred. Any material used in the paper must be cited appropriately (even the textbook).
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Write as consistently as possible using the third person (i.e., avoiding references to “I,” “my,” “me,” and/or preferring sentences with phrases such as “To me, this means…” “In my opinion…” “I feel, believe, think, etc.”) Stay on topic the whole time and attempt not to waste large parts of the paper using hyperbolic, exaggerated, or poetic language. Be sure that each section has a clear theme and refrains from bouncing around from point to point without a clear direction or structure.

Students are expected to edit and revise their papers ahead of final submission in order to avoid spelling, grammatical, or syntactical mistakes. Students who arrange an online appointment with a writing tutor Links to an external site., or who visit the writing center prior to submitting their final drafts, will have an extra 5% added to their score. Students must additionally scan and upload the session log or appointment confirmation e-mail along with their submission in order to receive credit. Appointments may be completed any time up to the day before the due date of the assignment, i.e., tutoring appointments that occur on the same day as the assignment due date or later will not be eligible for extra credit.

***Note: Your primary objective needs to be to communicate to me that you have accurately and thoroughly understood these ethical perspectives. The individuals who will score the highest will be the ones who spend a sizable portion of the paper explaining and illustrating the ethical theories as presented by Lewis Vaughn, the primary sources. Moreover, be sure to write your analysis according to the standard conventions of academic prose, and avoid leaving quotations or paraphrased material hanging without introduction or comment.

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