Academic Writing

Write a short paper that discusses and answers one of the following two questions: Question 1: Mill notes (ch. 2) that the utilitarian claim that "pleasure and freedom from pain are the only things desirable as ends" has been criticized on the ground that a "better and nobler object of desire and pursuit" – a "higher end" – than pleasure must exist for human life. How does Mill argue against this criticism? Which side gets the better of this dispute, in your view? Give reasons to support your answer. Question 2: According to Nietzsche, how do the moral outlooks of the strong and of the weak differ in their regard for justice? Under what circumstances and with what aims does each accept ideas of fairness and impartial judgment? Do you accept his claim that the justice or fairness manifested by the strong is more genuine (cf. Second Essay, Section 11)? In responding to your question, you should: (1) State the view you will defend (your thesis) and give your paper's order of presentation in the opening paragraph. (2) Order your presentation in whatever way seems best to you to make your argument and defend your thesis. (3) Remember that you are making an argument, not merely stating an opinion, and your purpose should be to persuade your reader why she or he should adopt your view on the question you're addressing. Paper work flow: (1) Submit your paper electronically (Word, WordPerfect, Acrobat, or Rich Text format) uploaded to the "Assignments ÷ Papers" section of our Canvas site, no later than Monday, November 23rd at 4:00 pm. (If Canvas gives you trouble, you may, as a last resort, email your paper to me as an attachment.) (2) You should also bring a hard copy of your paper to class to turn in on Tuesday, November 24th. First topic paper – page 2 Paper guidelines: (1) Typed, double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins, 3 full pages minimum. (You may need more than 3 full pages, but please don't go over 5 pages.) (2) Number your pages consecutively. Page 1 is where your first paragraph begins. (3) Give all citations simply and in-text, as in the following examples: Mill says that "No reason can be given why the general happiness is desirable, except that each person, so far as he believes it to be attainable, desires his own happiness" (Utilitarianism, 35). As Nietzsche observes, "We are unknown to ourselves . . . and with good reason. We have never sought ourselves – how could it happen that we should ever find ourselves?" (Genealogy of Morals, 15) (4) Add the appropriate Works Cited entry at the end of your paper, as in the following examples: Mill, John Stuart. Utililtarnianism. Second Edition. Edited by George Sher. Indianapolis and Cambridge: Hackett, 2001. Nietzsche, Friedrich. On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo. Translated by Walter Kaufmann and R. J. Hollingdale. New York: Vintage, 1989.