Module 5, Aristotle Review & Analysis Essay

Objective: The purpose of this assignment will be to apply the ideas of Aristotle to a unique ethical problem that you have not yet addressed in your other Aristotle assignments. The unique ethical problem that you choose is up to you. It can be an individual or a societal problem. And you can apply to ideas of Aristotle to the situation of an individual or to society as a whole to generate the solution.

Points: 20 points

Steps

1. What is the ethical problem that you would like to address? The potential choices are unlimited. You might choose a personal problem, like choosing a career, responding to a friend who has hurt you, or deciding if you should move out of your house to live with some friends. You might choose a global or societal issue such as consumerism, global warming, or one of the military conflicts that America is currently involved in. Use your own creativity and interests to decide.

2. In the first section of your essay you will state the issue that you have decided to address as clearly as possible. Why is his issue an ethical problem? What do you believe creates the problem, and why do you think it matters. (This section should be at least 100 words)

3. The next paragraphs in your essay will show how the problem might be addressed, or perhaps even solved from an Aristotelian point of view. Start by listing a specific aspect of Aristotle’s ethical philosophy in a bolded header. Then go on to explain that aspect of Aristotle’s theory, and then go on to show how that aspect of Aristotle’s theory might be used to solve the ethical issue or problem you have decided to cover. Follow this process for between 3-5 sections. Each section will develop the same way. Starting with a specific part of Aristotle’s theory, listing it in bold as a paragraph header, explaining that aspect of the theory and then showing how it might be applied to solve the problem. See the sample essay below for further clarification. (These paragraphs should make up at least 500 words when combined)

4. In the final section if your essay you will discuss why you do or do not believe that the solutions suggested by Aristotle offer a good way to try to solve the problem you have discussed. Be specific about what the principles you used were, and why you think those specific principles would or would not be effective if applied in the way you suggested. (This section should be at least 200 words)

5. Post your essay to the designated group discussion board by navigating to the designated discussion area and clicking “start new thread.” For this assignment you will need to post your work before the work of the other students in your class will show. If you attach your response as a Word document, please post it within the response itself as well

6. Reply to the postings of at least 1 of your classmates. Briefly describe something about their post that you found interesting and say how your point of view is similar or different from theirs. Remember to be kind and constructive in your responses.

Total Points Possible: 20 points

Sample Assignment

A sample assignment is posted above. Your assignment should contain the same sections with the same bolded headers as the sample paper. Part 2 requires 3 sections, but can contain up to 5.

Module 5: Aristotle Application Paper, Sample

Part 1: The Problem. The ethical problem that I would like to address in my paper is…. This problem is an problem because… I believe that this problem is caused by….. This is an important ethical problem because…

Part 2: Using Aristotle’s theory to solve the problem

A. Aristotle’s theory of W…. The first part of Aristotle’s theory that I want to apply to this problem is Aristotle’s theory of X. Aristotle’s ethical idea of X says that….. We can apply Aristotle’s idea of X to try to solve this ethical problem by…..

B. Aristotle’s theory of X…. The second part of Aristotle’s theory that I want to apply to this problem is Aristotle’s theory of X. Aristotle’s ethical idea of X says that….. We can apply Aristotle’s idea of X to try to solve this ethical problem by…..

C. Aristotle’s theory of Y…. The third part of Aristotle’s theory that I want to apply to this problem is Aristotle’s theory of X. Aristotle’s ethical idea of X says that….. We can apply Aristotle’s idea of X to try to solve this ethical problem by…..

Part 3: Does Aristotle’s theory really work?

In this section I will evaluate the question of whether or not these elements of Aristotle’s theory would really be useful in solving the ethical problem that I have discussed.