Topic A: Animal Rights
Assuming the research by DeWaal is correct, most if not all social animals have innate dispositions to cooperate for survival and as such, develop moral codes for behavior. As such, should humans not work more to ensure animals have basic rights even if they cannot ask for them? What rights should those be and is there some sort of hierarchy (should dogs have more rights than mice).
Topic B: Free Will (or not)
Imagine if we eliminated the notion of free will when it comes to our justice system. Present an argument that “justice” works better if we seek to help and fix people rather than just punish wrongdoers.
Topic C: Grand summary
Taking all you have learned in the class, discuss how you feel you will be more active in thinking about moral decisions and how your compass will help in that process. Be specific and if you can think of a recent moral decision where this class helped, share.
Final Reflection:
And finally, reflect on the following:
How will you include ethics in your present or future career?
How will you talk about ethics as a career competency?
