Reading Assignment

• skim Chapter 1 of Quinn as you find useful or interesting
• Chapter 2 of Quinn (Introduction to Ethics). Be sure to read the interview with James Moor at the end of the chapter as well.

Discussion Questions

1. Can moral rules ever be absolute?
2. James Moor has proposed happiness, life, ability, security, knowledge, freedom, opportunity and resources as core values (that are important to all people in all cultures). Do you agree with this list? Would you add or remove any values?
3. Do you agree with Quinn that divine command is not a workable ethical theory? Why or why not?
4. Using each of the four ethical theories that Quinn labels as workable (Kantianism, act utilitarianism, rule utilitarianism, and social contract theory), analyze the morality of the actions of the anti-spam organization described in Scenario 2 on page 57 of Quinn.
5. Repeat the previous question for the morality of the actions of the East Dakota State police in Scenario 3 on page 57 of Quinn.
6. Of the four ethical theories that Quinn labels as workable, find one action that you can justify as morally right under one of the theories and morally wrong under another of the theories. Do not use any of the scenarios described in the text of Chapter 2, or in the exercises at the end of the chapter.
7. In general, do you think that the intention behind an action or the effect of that action is more important in determining the morality of the action?
8. Do you think that computers have introduced any unique ethical problems (that could not have occurred without computers)?