This document provides an overview of ethical arguments for a composition class. It defines ethics as conceptual rules that govern personal conduct and notes they can vary based on environment, religion, and other factors. It outlines two frameworks for ethical arguments: principles-based, where an act is right/wrong because it follows/violates certain principles; and consequences-based, where an act is right/wrong because of the good or bad consequences that will result. Common problems in evaluation arguments are also discussed, such as distinguishing commonplace from ideal situations and choosing between two goods or bads. Students are instructed to work in groups to identify their audience and create an outline for their ethical argument paper.

1. Composition II
Week Thirteen
Tuesday
November 15, 2016
Reminder:
You have the entire class period
Thursday to work on Group
Projects

2. Week Thirteen
Ethical Arguments

3. In class discussion
• Would you rather?

4. Explain ethics.
• Ethics are conceptual (born in the mind)
• The rules and standards by which you personally govern your life
• Help us understand the concepts of right and wrong
o This may vary by environment, religion, and other external factors
• Any ethical system is based on the moral tenets we feel obliged to uphold
• Ethics are subjective

5. Constructing an Ethical Argument
• Use a frame for either:
o Principles-based evaluation
o Consequences-based evaluation
• Principles-based: an act is right/wrong because it follows/violets principles A,
B, and C
• Ex: Eating dessert before dinner is wrong because it violates the rules of the house, is
an act of blatant rebellion, and does not follow good diet habits.
• Consequences-based: an act is right/ wrong because it will lead to
consequences A, B, and C, which are good/bad
• Ex: Eating dessert before dinner is wrong because it will spoil your appetite, cause
poor eating habits, and cause you to gain weight.

6. Group Work
• Work with your group to decide if your ethical claim will follow the
principles-based framework or the consequences based framework. On a
Construct 1-3 sentences showing how your argument fits into this
framework.
o Principles-based: an act is right/wrong because it follows/violets principles A, B, and C
o Consequences-based: an act is right/ wrong because it will lead to consequences A, B,
and C, which are good/bad

7. Evaluation Arguments
• In evaluation arguments the writer evaluates a given act from the perspective
of some system of morality or ethics
• Many types of ethical systems exist within a single culture
• Usually your personal ethics are specific to your own experiences and self-
reflection
• Some ethical codes can be rigid, others can be unrecognized
o Christianity would be an example of a rigid code of morality
• Rules on morality are spelled out and followed faithfully
o Personal ethics can be unrecognized
• Feelings such as intuition and doubt are examples of unrecognized ethics

8. Common Problems in Evaluation Arguments
• What is commonplace vs. what is ideal
o When a dilemma has a solution that is better, but highly unlikely
o Example: Is it better to hand out contraceptives to high school students because they are,
most likely, going to be sexually active?
• Mitigating circumstances
o When unusual circumstances should alter our usual standards of judging
o Ex: You are all out of excused absences but you missed class to be at the hospital with
your sick child.
• Choosing between two goods or two bads
o Finding common ground between a rock and a hard place
o Ex: You promised your elderly mother you would never put her in a nursing home, but
she can no longer live independently without being a danger to herself

9. Common Problems in Evaluation Arguments
• Seductive Empirical Measures
o Seeking quantifiable measures that can be weighed mathematically
o This excludes non-quanitfiable traits
o Ex: When an university only gives scholarships to students who have high ACT scores.
• Cost:
o When the best option costs too much
o Ex: Offering free tuition would greatly benefit the economy and overall standard of
living.

10. Group Work
• Identify your audience!
o Turn to page 298. As a group, answer
the 5 prompts under the heading
“Identifying Your Audience and
Determining What’s at Stake”. Answer
each prompt in 1-3 sentences.
• Create an Outline
o Create an outline of your group paper.
Show the outline to your instructor, then
you are free to go!
DUE:
• Final Draft of APA Paper
• To drop box 11/17
• Thesis and Outline for Research Paper
• To drop box 11/17
• Journal #9 due by midnight 11/20