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4 pages/β‰ˆ1100 words
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Social Sciences
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Essay
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English (U.S.)
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Topic:

Reconstructing on Held's Argument that Traditional Ethical Theories have been Gender Biased

Essay Instructions:

Answer one of the following questions:
1) On the topic of free will, which of the three philosophers we have studied (Ree, Campbell, Ayer) has the most convincing view? What is that view? Explain the philosopher's argument for it in detail. What do they believe regarding the freedom of the will and its implications for moral responsibility? Why is it the best view on this issue?
2) Which of the two views on normative ethics that we have studied (as presented by Kant and Mill) do you believe best captures what it is to be moral? What is the view? Explain it in detail. Why does it best capture what it is to be moral? Are there any problems with the view? If so, what are they, and how problematic are they?
3) Is Held correct that traditional ethical theories have been gender biased? What is her argument for this view? What does Held propose to take the place of such biased theories? Explain her view and her reasons for holding it. Do you think her proposed replacement is better than the traditional theories? Why or why not?
4) Explain Midgley's criticism of the way traditional ethics has viewed animals. What does Midgley propose as an alternative? Explain her reasoning in detail. Are there any potential problems with her view? What are those problems? Do you agree with Midgley? Why or why not?
Your paper will have two main components: (1) reconstructing the argument(s) of others and (2) critically examining these arguments. Think of your essay as answering the following questions: (1) What did the author say? (2) Do you agree with what the author said? Why or why not?
Your reconstruction should be accurate, concise, and logically ordered. Avoid repeating yourself or excessively quoting the text. Instead, try to put the argument(s) into your own words as best you can. Cite any claim of the form ‘person X said Y.' Citing your sources is a major element of academic writing. Papers without sufficient citations (including page numbers) will be penalized. Also avoid including irrelevant information and simply stick to the matter under consideration. After reconstructing the argument(s) you must provide your own view on the material. This should consist of reasons for or against the argument(s) under consideration. In philosophy it is not merely enough to agree or disagree with an argument. Instead, the important element is why you agree or disagree. Why should anyone else agree with you? You should provide reasons beyond what is simply included in the text. However, this may (often) take the form of you agreeing or disagreeing with some of the authors; here your original contribution is providing further evidence for or against their views.
You may choose to look at sources other than the ones we have read for class. If you use other sources (including internet sources), cite them in your bibliography. (Note: exercise caution when using internet sources. Never cite Wikipedia in an academic paper. Two good, peer-reviewed philosophy sites are the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy and the Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy.) If you only use our textbook, no bibliography is required. I do not mind which referencing system you use, as long as (1) you are consistent, (2) you provide page numbers in your citations, and (3) it is easy for me to locate the source. This means you need to include full bibliographic information for outside sources. If you do quote directly from a source, you must put the passage in quotation marks and acknowledge the source, including the page number. Excessive close paraphrasing counts as plagiarism. All information taken from a source (including our textbook) – whether quoted or paraphrased – must be cited with page numbers.
This short essay is to be 3-5 double-spaced pages in 12-point font with 1 inch/2.54 cm margins

Essay Sample Content Preview:
Philosophy Essay
Name
Institution
Philosophy Essay
Reconstructing on Held's argument
I disagree with Held's  claim that traditional ethical theories have been gender biased. Held argues traditional ethical theories have a long history of sex bias. She says that people built the ethics on assumptions and constructed them with concepts that do not view both genders as equals (Bailey, 2004). Held examines three assumptions that she sees as gender-biased in the traditional ethical theories. The first assumption is "reason has priority over emotion (Bailey, 2004). Held maintains that this assumption is a result of male bias. In her article, she quotes utilitarianism, which takes pleasure and suffering into justification, but it is a rational principle that aids as the origin of moral judgment. She says many feminist philosophers are inquisitive about the superiority of the traditional ethical system by considering general rules rather than a context-respectful approach. She says a real feminist would not dismiss emotion but instead trust on feeling of care and empathy when making moral decisions.
The second assumption involving traditional ethical issues is the difference between the public and private spheres, and the fictional superiority of the public over private (Bailey, 2004). She links the public advantage to men who are more engaged in human activities where else women are only determined by biology and since it is a characteristic of all animals to reproduce women’s activities are seen to be inhuman. She is unhappy with the culture, which only pays attention to men but ignores women’s role. The last assumption is the concept of self-interesting individuals upon which traditional ethical theories are based (Bailey, 2004). She outlines that the traditional ethics only recognizes these people and the universal at all.
In her argument, he uses an example of how daughters and sons tend to see themselves. A girl comes to express herself regarding her relationship to others while a son feels cut off and separate, which advocates that this trend toward the individualistic notion of self is due to male biases. Other philosophers express concern over whether this trend of dividing ourselves from certain people might not make it easier to make rational moral judgments as dominant ethical theories recommend, but it could render us less capable of acting morally if people see themselves as independent individuals with no bonds to others.
Her proposal
Held proposes that feministic ethic should take the place of such biased theories. She says that feministic ethic will be able to combine aspects of an ethic of care together with the characteristics of an ethic of justice (Nobis, 2005). She recognizes the significance of the ethic of care where people feel concern for and engage in the real care of certain others’ needs. People must vow to ensure that feminist ethics are reorganized as one that is as essential to a moral theory like any of the contexts of traditional ideas.
Held campaigns for a development of an ethical theory that will pay more attention to emotions of empathy rather than rational principles. She argues that male dominance should be eliminate...
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