The Ethics of Duty Deontological ethics concerns itself primarily with duty. We hear a lot about duty today, from duty to family to duty to country. Most of us feel a sense of duty when we see human...

The Ethics of Duty

Deontological ethics concerns itself primarily with duty. We hear a lot about duty today, from duty to family to duty to country. Most of us feel a sense of duty when we see human destruction in the natural world, from condos on wetlands to plastic in the oceans. What is an environmental issue (an issue having to do with human impact, large or small, on the natural world) about which you feel a sense of duty?

Using thescholarly research tools in our library, find a post-2000 academic article (i.e., not from a popular magazine or website)that addresses your chosen issue involving a "universal" code or "absolute" rule about ethics in a way that interests you.Your article probably will be peer-reviewed; our library shows you whether or not a given article has been vetted by experts.

You will need to experiment with narrowing your topic, because "pollution" could be a 3,487-page paper. This article could be an explanation of the issue involving the demand for duty put into action, a recommendation regarding a solution for the issue, or even an argument against others' understanding of the issue. Up to you. Check out for inspiration: "An Oxford Researcher Says There Are Seven Moral Rules That Unite Humanity(Links to an external site"

As you read and rereadyour chosen article, take notes. What are the article's main points? What key terms, concepts, or arguments does the article's author use to make those points? How can you use some of the article's main points to underline and develop your own sense of duty about the issue? Perhaps most important: Why should you, or anyone, have this sense of duty about this issue, that is, what's at stake, and why are we obliged to do anything about it?

Let's explore how this plays out in cases where a universal rule or mandate must apply. Those beyond barriers, borders, or even human boundaries (i.e, including natural life, the earth, maybe the universe!) are ideal investigations.Collaborating with your classmates will enrich your imagination and expand your interpretations of this "rule-based approach."After meeting peers, each of you'll contribute this...

Your four slides--everyone uploads only his/her own version, and his/her particular choice of principles, applications, and examples--will follow in this order.

This presentation should do the following.

1. Open with a slidethat contains a brief overview of the issue, a brief indication of how the article relates to that issue, and a thesis sentence that connects your sense of duty to the issue and the article. Please provide the full title, author, and publication in your first mention of the article. (Example: In his article "X Marks the Spot" fromThe Economist, Jack Black argues that...)


2. Contain at leasttwocontent slidesthat explore the main points and key terms, concepts, and arguments you've chosen from the article. Use selected bits of information from the article (cite them, please) to support your own ideas about the article, the issue, and your sense of duty. This is not a book report. You're not simply restating the article. You'reinterpretingit.


3. Close with a slidethat echoes the opening paragraph but also adds new value via the idea of duty. You might consider looking to the future, creating a call to action for others, or warning of what could happen if things do not change. Add who and what you benefited from your "set" of classmates you're assigned to.