Liberal Studies essay
Liberal Studies 100 Essay Topics
All essays must be typed, double-spaced, and proofed. Upon collection, the essays must be stapled together. Do not use a folder. Your surname should appear on each page. Citations from a class text require only a pagination reference, e.g., (Rachels, p 43). All outside materials will require a full citation. You may choose your own format (e.g., Chicago, MLA etc.) Plagiarism will result in a “0” grade on the essay and a report to the Dean of Students. The required length per essay is 2 to 3 pages.
Set One
1. What is the conflict between Stephen J. Gould and James Rachels noted in the introduction to Rachels’s book? In your view, is naturalistic evolution and religion compatible? Please argue for your position and clearly define your terms.
2. Give a succinct summary of Rachels’s theory of moral individualism and how it differs from what he calls “traditional morality”. This summary should be no more than 1 ½ pages. How might a proponent of this theory address the question of affirmative action in the form of set-asides for underrepresented minorities in a university?
3. If you lived in a society like Gattaca and you were planning to have children, would you use the existing biotechnology to alter your offspring’s genetic “blueprint” or would you choose as Vincent’s parents did? Provide arguments to support your position.
Set Two
1. Defend or criticize: Regarding happiness, John Stewart Mill famously quipped that it is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied. Would Nettle agree with this statement? Do you?
2. Imagine the perfect pleasure machine that could simulate any human experience, good or bad. Would you choose to spend a year of your life in this machine if you could choose the simulated experiences? Of course once in the machine, the simulations would seem real.
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Two essays original work please.
