Read the February 14, 2002 article from the New York Times: School Cheating Scandal Tests a Towns Values, by Jodi Wilgoren. Using any of the authors whose works we have covered in the ethics portion of the course, discuss the scandal that rocked Piper, Kansas. How would e.g. Aristotle, or Kant, or Mill analyze the situation? What would they emphasize or ignore? How would they assess the ethical integrity of the players? Why? Opening Paragraph: 1. Problem: One can discern any number of issues or problems in the article: I want you to focus on one. Depending upon which philosopher you use to interpret the article, ask you self this question when formulating the statement: what would Aristotle, or Kant, or Mill think is the single most important concern the Piper situation raises? The severity of the crime? The punishment? The attitude of the parents? The obstinacy/bad habits of the students? The policy of the school? The execution of policy by the administration? The fallout on the community? Why would this be important to him? How does this concern go to the heart of the philosophers theory? 2. Thesis: Taking on the view of the philosopher, state clearly and simply how the philosophers theory might be relevant to the scandal. For instance: The Piper incident illustrates Hobbes principle of Psychological Egoism, according to which human beings act out of purely selfish motivation. 3. Methodology: In one sentence state three major aspects (and in the case of Aristotle, the Greek/English term) of the philosophers ethical theory that will shed light on the incident in Piper. Do not go into details here. You have the entire Exposition to do that. Exposition: 1. In explaining the first aspect/term of the philosophers theory, explain the idea, preferably in your own words, and make a connection to the Piper scandal. Document both the philosophers work and Wilgorens article in the Times. 2. second aspect/term . 3. third aspect/term . Closing Paragraph: Be creative here as you wrap up the analysis. Ask yourself the following questions: Is the thought of the philosopher helpful in getting to the bottom of the cheating scandal? Is he forgetting something? What are the implications of his thought? What creative solutions might his thought suggest? Essays, in full prcis style, must be 2 pages in length: no more. (I will stop reading after that.) You are to use double-spacing, 1-inch margins, and 12-point Times New Roman font.
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