GUIDELINES FOR THE FINAL APPLIED ETHICS PAPER
The final course requirement for Ethics is a final paper on applied ethics, of approximately 5 pp. in length.
This paper should be a statement and defense of what you think about some controversial moral and/or
social issue from the list of allowable topics. I have chosen to restrict the allowable topics to rule out those
topics that have such well-established and publicly known arguments that no serious thought need go into
producing the paper. If you want to choose a topic not on the list, you must clear it with me first. It is due
the final day of scheduled class (NOT the final exam time scheduled for the course).
The final paper will be graded primarily along the following criteria:
 Having a clear and identifiable thesis statement
 Provision of support for that thesis statement through arguments and/or evidence. Most of the
grade will be based on this element, so be sure to elaborate your arguments and evidence fully.
 Avoidance of the informal reasoning fallacies (including appeals to authority and usage of loaded
language) covered earlier in the course
 Standard term paper guidelines. I expect the paper to be proofread for spelling and grammar. I
expect the paper to be structured and organized—treat it no differently than you would treat a
paper for a composition course. If you need help with this, please use the Writing Center. It is a
great resource, and the people there are trained to help you at any stage of production—even
picking a topic.
Some general guidelines to follow:
 Pick a topic where you feel there is room for reasonable disagreement. Do not pick a topic where
you would consider those who disagree with you to be irrational or demonic.
 Defend what you really think. Don’t feel the need to pigeon-hole yourself into a preset option on
your topic. If what you really think is ‘Capital punishment should be allowed only to punish
crimes against humanity’, THIS is what you should defend.
 Bear in mind that a thesis statement does not have to be a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to your topic
problem. For example, ‘The abortion debate is irresolvable’ is a perfectly legitimate thesis
statement.
 Topics where you have relevant personal experience are recommended. Your experience will
often give you a perspective on the issue that others lack.
 Since this paper is a defense of what YOU think, outside sources are not required. They are,
however, useful for providing data, arguments, and opposing ideas. If you use outside sources,
including research studies or statistical data, be sure to cite them. APA and MLA styles are both
acceptable; see the Writing Center if you need citation guidelines.
 While it is not required of you to address potential objections, recognizing weaknesses and
potential objections will always make the paper better as it indicates the level of serious thought
put into the paper.
 Don’t be afraid of admitting ignorance, especially in responding to the ideas of others.
 Avoid replacing arguments with examples. Use examples to illustrate a general claim, not as a
replacement for them. Examples by themselves tend toward selection bias and hasty
generalizations.
 Avoid, where possible, “we” language. Talking about what “we” believe tends toward hasty
generalizations and loaded language. Our tendency to overestimate the degree to which others
agree with us is a well-established cognitive fallacy. Don’t make it.
 I am interested in content, not clever rhetorical flourish. Thus, avoid filler material, especially at
the beginning of the paper. No paper should start with anything like ‘Abortion is one of the most
controversial issues facing us today’ or ‘Since the beginning of time, man has wondered
whether…’ Write for a reasonably well educated audience.
Approved Topics (By General Topic Area)
Animal Rights
 Is genetically modifying animals for greater food productivity permissible?
4
 Is animal cloning morally permissible?
 Do we owe moral obligations to non-human animals?
 Should we be vegetarians?
 What are the limits of permissible scientific testing on animals?
 Do zoos violate animal rights or welfare?
 Is hunting morally permissible?
 Is genetically modifying domestic animals for cosmetic purposes morally permissible?
Business Ethics
 When, if ever, is whistleblowing morally permissible?
 To whom does a business owe responsibility?
 Are employment-at-will contracts just?
 Should businesses be required to provide child-care services?
 Are affirmative action policies in hiring morally acceptable?
 Is deceptive advertising morally permissible?
 Are deception and bluffing in business deals morally acceptable?
 What are the ethical obligations or salespeople?
 Are sweatshops morally permissible?
 Do businesses have obligations to try to prevent misuse of their products?
 Should there be harsher penalties for “white collar” crimes?
 Is it permissible to have lower safety standards in overseas plants?
Capital Punishment
 Should capital punishment be allowed for the mentally ill or handicapped?
 Should capital punishment be allowed for minors?
 How, if at all, should capital punishment be used in international law?
Economic Justice
 Should the U.S. have a living wage requirement?
 Is the great distribution of income and wealth in the U.S. just?
 What obligations does the state owe to the poor in our country?
 What obligations do the people and/or government of wealthy nations owe to the people of
poorer nations?
 Should foreign aid be dependent on value judgments about other societies?
 Should foreign aid be dependent on political alliances?
 Should we use taxation to redistribute wealth?
 Should Social Security be privatized?
 Should we recognize a ‘right to work’?
 Is capitalism a just system?
 What reparations (if any) does the federal government owe African-Americans for slavery?
 What reparations (if any) does the federal government owe Native Americans for genocide
and theft of land?
Environmental Ethics
 What obligations, if any, do we owe toward endangered species?
 Should recycling programs be mandatory?
 What obligations, if any, do we have regarding environmental preservation?
 Should the U.S. bear the primary responsibility for reducing hydrocarbons and other
pollutants as the Kyoto Protocol recommends?
 Do human development needs ever trump conservationism?
 Is it permissible to pay foreign nations or Native American reservations to use their land for
disposing of hazardous substances?
Family and Relationships
 Is sex selection morally permissible?
 Should same-sex marriage be recognized?
 Is it permissible to deny homosexuals the opportunity to adopt?
 Should prospective parents be licensed?
5
 What obligations do we owe to elderly or infirm parents?
 What obligations do we owe to future generations?
Health Care Ethics
 Is there a morally important difference between passive and active euthanasia?
 Are euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide permissible for patients that are NOT terminally
ill?
 Is there ever an obligation to die?
 Can we permissibly involuntarily hospitalize people that are mentally ill or handicapped?
 When (if ever) is it permissible to breach patient confidentiality?
 How much control should the patient have over his/her medical treatment?
 Is it ever permissible to lie to patients?
 Should there be some form of socialized health care?
 What obligations do researchers owe to experimental participants?
 Should parents be allowed to enroll their children in potentially dangerous or treatmentdenying medical research?
 Should physicians personally opposed to abortion or euthanasia be required to provide these
services?
 Who (if anyone) should have the right to deny treatment deemed ‘medically futile’?
 Is triage morally permissible?
 Is embryonic stem cell research morally permissible?
 Should age be a determinant of who receives medical treatment?
 Should organ transplantation be denied or delayed in cases where the patient is responsible for
his/her own condition?
 Should we pay people for blood and/or organ donations?
 Should minors be allowed to make their own medical decisions?
 Should minors be denied treatment on the basis of their parents’ religious beliefs?
International Politics
 Should the United States join the International Court of Justice?
 Is a world governing body desirable?
 Is diplomatic immunity just?
 When (if ever) is it permissible to spy on a foreign government?
 When (if ever) is it permissible to support revolutionary movements in foreign nations?
 When (if ever) is it permissible to engage in political assassination?
 How should prisoners of war or ‘enemy combatants’ be treated?
 Is there an obligation to remain informed about human rights abuses and other crimes against
humanity?
Morality, Religion and the Law
 Should the law reflect the moral or religious values of a community?
 Is it ever permissible for the state to publicly support a religious view?
 Should there be references to God in the Pledge of Allegiance and other public creeds?
 Can lawmakers appeal to religious beliefs to support legislation?
 Should the law make exceptions for the practices of religious minorities?
 When (if ever) is civil disobedience permissible?
 Is there a moral obligation to vote?
 Should there be Bad Samaritan laws?
Personal Liberties
 Is suicide ever morally permissible?
 What obligations do we owe to someone contemplating suicide?
 Should taking the Pledge of Allegiance ever be mandatory?
 Should hate speech be protected?
 When and where (if ever) can public smoking be prohibited?
 Should recreational marijuana (or other currently illegal drug) use be legalized?
 Are random drug tests permissible?
6



Should performance-enhancing drugs be prohibited for professional athletes?
Should the U.S. outlaw Holocaust denial?
Are laws that protect us from our own dangerous behaviors (such as seatbelt or helmet laws)
morally acceptable?
 Is it ever permissible to censor art?
 Are maternal fetal abuse laws morally acceptable?
 What medical, psychiatric or genetic information (if any) should be available to employers?
 Should employers be allowed to require or forbid certain behaviors by their employees in
their private lives?
 What moral responsibilities do I owe myself?
 Should scientific or academic research be guided by moral principles?
Reproduction
 Should third parties be required to pay for assisted reproduction?
 Should third parties be required to pay for birth control?
 Should abortion be allowed for fetuses that have serious genetic defects?
 Who (if anyone) should be required to submit to in vitro diagnosis?
 Is it ever wrongful to reproduce?
 Is human embryonic cloning morally permissible?
 Should minors be required to have parental consent to obtain birth control?
 Should minors be required to have parental consent to obtain an abortion?
 Should we allow postmenopausal women equal access to assisted reproduction?
 Is paid surrogacy morally acceptable?
 Are population control measures ever morally acceptable?
 Should pharmacists personally opposed to birth control or abortion be required to dispense
these medications?
 Is it ever permissible to use genetic engineering (eugenics) on human beings?
 Can we permissibly require a pregnant woman to have a caesarian section if doing so is
needed to secure the life or health of the fetus?
Sexuality
 Should the federal or state governments support programs that advocate abstinence?
 Is premarital sex morally permissible?
 Is adultery ever morally permissible?
 Are sadomasochistic sexual behaviors morally acceptable?
 Are same-sex sexual relationships morally permissible?
 Are laws against sodomy just?
 Are there any forms of pornography that should be censored?
 Is pornography sexist?
 Is prostitution morally permissible? (You focus on the prostitute, the john, or both.)
 Under what conditions (if any) is it permissible to discriminate against people on the basis of
sexual orientation?
 Should third parties be required to pay for sex reassignment?
War, Terrorism and Humanitarian Intervention
 Can terrorism ever be morally justified?
 Should rights ever be curtailed in times of war?
 Should rights ever be curtailed if it aids in the “war on terrorism”?
 When (if ever) is it permissible to declare war?
 Is unwanted humanitarian intervention ever permissible?
 Is torture ever morally permissible?
7