Dr. Christina Sommers' article on Virtue Ethics

Based upon your reading of Dr. Christina Sommers' article on Virtue Ethics and & the video lecture by Tamar
Gendler on the same topic, write a 2 to 3 page essay (double-spaced; MS doc file or rtf) answering the
questions given in the instructions. You must support your analysis with at least two short quotations from the
reading and/or video, properly notated. Proper MLA or APA in text citations are required. Each quotation must
be no more than 40 words. Topic Instructions are given below.
Instructions:
Based upon your reading of Dr. Christina Sommers' article on Virtue Ethics & the video lecture by Tamar
Gendler on the same, write a 2 to 3 page essay (double-spaced) on what virtue ethics is and how each of
these philosophers explains it. You will need to answer the following questions: According to Sommers, what is
the main problem today and what is her basic answer both in terms of content and scope? And then, from the
lecture by Dr. Gendler, explain how we can turn normative commitments into descriptive laws and what does it
mean to do that, according to her explanation of Aristotle’s virtue ethics (video link)? Do you think it is fair to
say that virtue ethics, as Tamar Gendler explains this moral theory, is a type of human programming and, if so,
does this view challenge or undercut the idea of good human behavior as a matter of choice rather than
response without thought? Explain. Do you think this approach of Professor Gendler to how virtue ethics
becomes part of us goes along with Professor Sommers’ thesis on what is needed in schools today or not?
Explain. Finally, what part of Christina Sommers’ analysis and proposal you find convincing if any, and what
part of it, if any, do you find questionable?
https://youtu.be/reZA81S0zfI
https://www.forerunner.com/forerunner/X0116_Teaching_the_Virtues.html