Aristotle

There are 2 parts: Can you make an outline first and then finish the essay? I mean, the essay will be included its outline.

ESSAY
The purpose of this assignment is to prepare you for the 4-5 page. Essay that you will write for this course. The essay is an opportunity for you to engage in more extended analysis and criticism of the areas of ethics that we have covered this far in the course. Your paper should be based on the readings from the course and should demonstrate the following learning outcomes:
• Read, analyze, and critique philosophical texts.
• Explain and assess major arguments in ethics.
• Present well-reasoned ethical positions in writing.
• Apply ethical concepts and principles to address moral concerns

Task:
First, examine the following topics and consider the readings and assignments that you have completed in the course up to this point. Select one of the following topics or create your own.
Topics:
1. Aristotle argues that happiness is the ultimate good and purpose of human action. He believes that virtue is the way to achieve happiness. Does this view offer a reason for thinking that ethics might have a general character that can be applied to all people, places, and times? Can someone be fully happy (in Aristotle’s sense, that is, fulfilled, excellent, flourishing) even though others might consider them wicked?
2. Does virtue or piety capture what we mean by morals and ethics or is something lost in these characterizations? When Plato and Euthyphro discuss piety, they seem to treat piety as if it were another word for ethical, that is, if a person is pious then they do the right thing while an impious person does not. Similarly, Aristotle’s entire work on ethics is concerned with the development of virtue. But is virtue or piety all there is to ethics? Are there other rules, guidelines, or moral principles that are not captured by the concepts of virtue and piety? What are they? What is missing?
3. Euthyphro tries to ground morality in the statements of the gods; Aristotle grounds it in human nature (the soul, its purpose and it’s function). Which of these two approaches to grounding ethics seems more likely to succeed as an ethical theory? Do they both miss something? Is there another way to ground our notions of ethics? Why would one or the other fail to provide an adequate theory of ethics?
Second, think about how you will write a persuasive argument addressing the topic of your choosing. This argument should be based on the readings and on your own critical reasoning. You will need to explain the arguments and positions presented in the readings. You will need to analyze and critique those positions. And you should consider how they apply to concrete situations.
Third, after you have thought about this for a while, you should compose a short abstract or proposal (no more than four or five sentences) and an outline demonstrating for your paper.
Submit the abstract and outline for my review.

Criteria of assessment:
Your proposal and outline will be graded according to the following rubric.
Proposal contains a clear abstract of the paper (no more than 4-5 sentences long), outline and abstract demonstrate a thoughtful response to an ethical topic, clearly engages with assigned readings, and demonstrates
• critical analysis readings ,
• explanation and assessment of arguments,
• well- reasoned position, and
• application to moral concerns. 30 points
Proposal contains an abstract and outline that are insufficiently well-considered, unclear, or not adequately addressing the four outcomes identified above. This proposal is approaching the best outcome on the assignment, but falls short in multiples areas. 20-25 points
Writes something, but the presentation is wholly inadequate. 15 points
Does not submit anything. 0 points

Assessment criteria:
The paper will be graded holistically based on the following components. Each component will be assessed a score of 0-3 (0 = no response, 1 = inadequate , 2 = approaching expectations, 3 = meets expectations). Your score will then be translated into a final grade.
Knowledge: The paper demonstrates a basic knowledge of the concepts, terms, readings, and ideas relevant to the topic chosen. The author properly identifies sources of these ideas.
Critical analysis: The author considers other viewpoints, challenges premises and arguments, and considers counter examples. The author questions the consistency of the ideas presented.
Argument: The paper advances a thesis with supporting evidence. Paragraphs build toward a logical conclusion.
Application: The author considers applications of the ideas to real life scenarios.
Composition: The paper is written clearly and in a consistent voice. A priority should be placed on communicating ideas directly and economically, avoiding ambiguity or vagueness, and avoiding errors that detract from the ability of the reader to understand what the author is saying.