This paper must be no less than 1,000 words and should demonstrate a thorough awareness of the topic as well as the ability to engage in philosophical reasoning. Late papers will be penalized at -5% for the first day late and an additional -1% for each day following.
Outside research is not necessary, and in fact you are strongly encouraged to write this paper with nothing but the course materials and your brain in hand, but if you do use external sources you must provide complete citations. Failure to cite your sources is academic misconduct and will result in a failure of the assignment (for more information, see the academic honesty section of the syllabus and the handout on academic misconduct and proper citations). If you have any doubts about whether your paper is properly cited, I am happy to look at it for you in advance of the due date.
The Assignment: Sophia and Jacob are college sophomores who sometimes have casual sex. They have affection for each other, but neither is interested in a relationship. They always use condoms, but apparently one broke, because Sophia discovers she is 6 weeks pregnant. Sophia has not had sex with anyone besides Jacob in the past 3 months, so it is certain that he is the father. Neither Sophia nor Jacob is financially independent, and neither feels emotionally ready to be parents. However, they care about behaving morally, and feel like they should think carefully before deciding what to do next. They also feel that they share responsibility for the pregnancy, and so they should decide together what to do about it. The problem is, Sophia and Jacob espouse different moral theories. In this paper, youll consider the conflict this creates and explain what advice you would give Sophia and Jacob.
Part I Sophia’s Argument: Choose a moral theory for Sophia (natural law theory, Kantianism, utilitarianism, contractarianism, or virtue theory). Explain what options are open to Sophia with regard to her pregnancy, as a proponent of this theory. (In this section, you will be evaluated based on your ability to apply the tenets of the theory to this applied ethical issue. You must make specific reference to theorists and concepts we have studied in this course).
Part II Jacob’s Argument: Now choose a moral theory for Jacob (natural law theory, Kantianism, utilitarianism, contractarianism, or virtue theory, but not the same theory as Sophia), and explain why the theory he espouses leads him to see different options as available to him with regard to the pregnancy. (In this section, you will be evaluated based on your ability to apply the tenets of the theory to this applied ethical issue. You must make specific reference to theorists and concepts we have studied in this course).
Part III Your Argument: Since Sophia and Jacob dont agree, they ask you to tell them what you would do in their situation. Give your own moral arguments to support your view. (In this section, you will be evaluated based on your ability to clearly articulate moral arguments in support of your position. Note: you are not helping Sophia and Jacob come to a compromise, you are simply telling them what you would do if you were in their shoes).
