“The Ethicist”is a column in the New York Timesin which people write in with their moral quandaries, and philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah answers them. For this assignment, you’ll be filling in for the famous philosopher, and giving your own response to a moral quandary. To select your moral quandary, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-ethicist (Links to an external site.)and select the scenario that you want to write about. You may choose from any of the columns that are available on “The Ethicist” website. You may read the whole column, but you will only write about the moral quandary that has been provided by the letter-writer (the part that’s italicized). You don’t need to engage with Appiah’s response. Once you have selected the moral quandary that you’re going to use for your paper, cut and paste it into a Word document that you will attach with your paper so that I can read the quandary as well as your analysis of it (the quandary does not count toward your 1,000 words).
Once you’ve made your selection, evaluate the moral quandary in the following way:
Part 1 – How would a Kantian respond, and why? (This section should be about 1 page in length and should demonstrate your ability to apply Kantian principles to the moral quandary you have chosen.)
Part 2 – How would a utilitarian respond, and why? (This section should be about 1 page in length and should demonstrate your ability to apply utilitarian principles to the moral quandary you have chosen.)
Part 3 – What is your own response, and why? (This section should be about 1 page in length and should demonstrate your ability to offer your own moral analysis and arguments regarding the moral quandary you have chosen.)
Sample Citation for “The Ethicist”
Appiah, Kwame Anthony. “The Ethicist: What Should I Do with Old Racist Memorabilia,” New York Times, September 11, 2018.