Death Penalty Box

Here are some links related to our discussion of the death penalty:

• An encyclopedia of philosophy article on the death penalty.
• A large collection of resources on the ethics of capital punishment. I mean, wow.
• What's up with punishment in general? That's a big ethical issue.
  
• What about the financial cost of the death penalty? Although it's common sense to think that keeping a criminal in prison for life would cost more than putting her to death, some studies suggest that the opposite is true. The additional legal battles in death penalty cases may cost more than a life sentence.
• A nice article on measuring the reliability of the justice system. How often do courts convict the wrong person?
• I'll be mentioning "owning our ignorance" in class during our discussion of the death penalty. I like this issue so much that I've started a club about it!
  

Moopheus

Here are some links on animal ethics:

• Vegetarians Still Love the Smell of Bacon
• David Foster Wallace: Consider the Lobster
• How to Cut Back on Meat Slowly
• What Is The Meatrix?
  
• Animal Research (Peter Singer's Sometimes OK with It!)
• Peter Singer on Michael Vick & Dog Fighting
  
• Audio Interview with Peter Singer
• Michael Pollan's "An Animal's Place"
• Is Worrying About the Ethics of Your Diet Elitist?
• Huge List of Resources on the Moral Status of Animals

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Peter Singer

Ron Paul Interview
Bob Barr Interview

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Consensus Groups

Here are the group assignments for the consensus sessions. If you're not in a group yet, let me know as soon as possible so we can get you in one. Click on the Topic Heading for links to more info on your topic.

Death Penalty (April 7th)
-Group #1 (Pojman & Reiman articles): Elissa, Glenn, Justin, Michael
-Group #2 (Primoratz & Nathanson articles): Allison, Danielle, Jennifer

Pornography (April 14th)
-Group #1 (Longino article): Amanda, Carly, Erica, Joseph, Susan
-Group #2 (Wicclair article): Iryna, Lauren, Stephanie R.


Charity (April 21st)
-Group #1 (Singer article): Kelly, Kim, Nicole, Tiffany
-Group #2 (Hardin article): Emily M., Emily S., Katie, Steph D.

Drugs (April 28th)
-Group #1 (Nadelmann article): Irene, Megan, Samar
-Group #2 (Wilson article): Amber, Ann, Jess

Paper & Midterm Rescheduled

We decided in class to move the due date of the first paper back to Tuesday, March 31st.

Also, we're pushing the midterm back to Tuesday, March 31st.

Finally, here are some tips (one and two) on writing philosophy papers.)

Check the Source

-via GraphJam

Youth In Asia

Ali G's Take on Euthanasia

Consensus Session Guidelines

In the last five weeks of class we will be holding some consensus sessions on the current issue we will be discussing. Groups of about three students will be responsible for leading these consensus sessions. There will be two consensus sessions each class: one for each of the articles assigned to read for that week. Each session should last about 20-30 minutes.

Preparing for the Consensus Session
First, your group’s job is to understand and evaluate the argument contained in the readings for your issue.

1. Figure out the argument in your assigned article, and convert it into a clear premise/conclusion format.

2. Evaluate the argument as a group. Check each premise, and check the structure.

3. When evaluating, play the back & forth game. That is, consider as many responses to the argument and your criticisms of it as you can think of. Is the argument misguided? Mistaken? Can you revise the argument to overcome the criticisms you come up with?

4. Try to reach a group-wide consensus on your evaluation of the argument.

NOTE: It doesn’t matter which side you end up on! The goal isn’t to say what’s wrong about the argument. Nor is the goal to make sure the argument is good. The goal is to figure out whether it’s good or bad.

I recommend emailing me your group’s version of the argument and evaluation of it several days before you’re scheduled to lead a session. I can provide helpful feedback, and make sure you’re on the right track.

Instructions for Running the Consensus Session
During your consensus session, your group’s job is to present your findings regarding the argument to the rest of the class, and lead a class-wide consensus session on each argument. Each group member should present about the same amount.

1. Explain the main point of the reading.

2. Explain the author’s argument in support of this main point. (Explain it slowly and clearly, like you’re teaching it to the class. Point out exactly where each premise in your argument came from in the reading itself.)

3. Briefly explain your group’s evaluation of the author’s argument.

4. Explain how your group came to the conclusion that the argument is good/bad. Discuss the back & forth process you went through to come to your conclusion.

5. Hold a small question and answer round with the rest of class to explain and clarify the argument and your evaluation of it.

6. Run a consensus session (a thumbs up/thumbs down vote) with the rest of class where you evaluate each premise of the argument and the argument’s structure.

7. Go back & forth with every dissenter with the goal of trying to reach a consensus on each vote.