Contemporary Moral Problems Journal Assignments

1. What do you think some of the purposes of morality are? (List at least 4)
2. Explain the difference between consequentialist and deontological ethical theories.
3. Do you think morality is just a matter of opinion? Explain your answer.

2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Blum's account of value education? How can we encourage value education in a diverse society?

3. What is cultural relativism? Why is it appealing? Why does Nussbaum talk about relativism in her article? What precautions do we need before we criticize another person's moral system/another culture's moral system?

2. How does Bunch argue that violence against women is a human rights issue? How would she respond to someone who says that women's rights are too trivial to count as human rights? How would she respond to someone who said that women's rights issues are personal, individual issues?

3. Do you think the government has the right to interfere with protesters' rights to free speech if there is the possibility of civic disruption (the recent protests for peace in Washington are a good example). In your estimation, when does the government have the right to interfere with someone's right to free speech?