Order ID 53563633773 Type Essay Writer Level Masters Style APA Sources/References 4 Perfect Number of Pages to Order 5-10 Pages Description/Paper Instructions
Protecting Freedom of Speech
Running head: PROTECTING FREEDOM 1
PROTECTING FREEDOM 5 Protecting Freedom of Speech
Student Name
PHI 208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Prof. Phil O’Sopher
March 15, 2018
Protecting Freedom of Speech
Part 1: Ethical Question
Do we have a moral obligation to protect free speech even in cases where that speech causes harm to others?
Part 2: Introduction
In August of 2107, the city of Charlottesville, Virginia became the focal point of violent demonstrations that resulted in injury, death and psychological harm. The violence was the result of clashes between white supremacists who gathered in Charlottesville for a planned “Unite the Right” rally to protest the possible removal of the Confederate Statue of Robert E. Lee (Katz, n.d.). The violence included hate speech in the form of signs, chants and a Friday night “Hitler youth” torch rally. These events and the reactions to them launched the issue of free speech into the national spotlight.
Freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental rights cherished by Americans and granted to all through our Constitution, but ethical issues arise when the exercise of that right results in direct harm to others. The primary ethical issue that arises concerns the balance between protecting this fundamental right of speech and preventing the harm associated with hate speech. According to our textbook, ethics asks the question of how we should live and that with “each conscious, deliberate choice we make, we are living out an answer to this question.” (Thames, 2018).
Americans have many rights granted to them by the Constitution, but these rights are not absolute or limitless and they carry with them a responsibility to uphold laws (Brandenburg v. Ohio n.d.). It is perfectly legal to hate someone, but it is illegal to act on that hate if doing so causes harm. From an ethical standpoint, our responsibility to act in certain ways goes beyond merely conforming to society’s laws. When considering the balance between protecting free speech and preventing harm, the ethical theory of utilitarianism tells us that we should weigh the overall positive and negative consequences of an action and choose only those actions that result in the greatest overall good (Thames, 2018. Sec. 3.1). This paper will consider the positive and negative aspects of protecting free speech vs. preventing the harm that it may cause and show that utilitarianism would support restrictions on speech that is intended or likely to cause harm.
Part 3: Explanation of the Ethical Theory
This section of the paper should focus exclusively on explaining the ethical theory you have chosen to use to examine the ethical issue. There should be three components to this section. The first is a brief account of the historical background of the theory and the primary philosopher associated with it. For example, if you have chosen utilitarianism, you would begin this section with a brief account of John Stuart Mill and/or Jeremy Bentham and the historical context in which they wrote.
The second component is an explanation of the core moral principle (or principles) of the theory. A core moral principle is a principle that lies at the center of the theory and defines and drives the moral reasoning of the theory. For example, although relativism is not per se, an ethical theory, we might define its core principle as the idea that there are no absolute moral values, or that moral notions of good and right and just differ from one culture to the next.
The third component is a brief, general explanation of how the theory and its core moral principles applies to moral questions. Note that here you must choose an example that is different from the ethical question you are addressing in the paper. For example, based on the Freedom of Speech Week One Model Example, and focusing in this paper on how utilitarianism applies to freedom of speech, here you could explain how utilitarianism would apply to an issue like lying for the sake of the greater good.
This section should be around 300 words and must incorporate at least one quote from the required resources on the ethical theory you have chosen
Part 4: Application of the Ethical Theory
Now that you have explained in general terms the core principle of the ethical theory you’re focusing on in this paper, you will apply that theory and its core principle to your ethical question. The main focus in this section is to explain as clearly and precisely as you can how the core principle of the ethical theory leads to a specific answer to your ethical question. For example, based on the Freedom of Speech Week One Model Example, and on the selection of utilitarianism as the ethical theory, in this section you would demonstrate the moral reasoning of utilitarianism by showing how the core principles of this ethical theory lead to a specific conclusion on your ethical issue such. In other words, you should demonstrate the clear connection between that core principle and the specific conclusion it reaches. It might be helpful to think of this task as filling in the following sentence: Because the core principle of utilitarianism is _________, someone using this ethical theory to consider _______ would arrive at the conclusion that _________.
This section should be around 300 words.
References
Brandenburg v. Ohio. (n.d.). Oyez. Retrieved from https://www.oyez.org/cases/1968/492
Katz, A. (n.d.). Unrest in Virginia. Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/charlottesville-white-nationalist-rally-clashes/
Post Editors (n.d.). Great American thinkers on free speech. Retrieved from http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2015/01/16/history/great-american-thinkers-free-speech.htm
Mill, J. S. (1873). Autobiography . Retrieved from http://www.utilitarianism.com/millauto/
Thames, B. (2018). How should one live? An introduction to ethics and moral reasoning (3rd ed.). [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
RUBRIC
QUALITY OF RESPONSE NO RESPONSE POOR / UNSATISFACTORY SATISFACTORY GOOD EXCELLENT Content (worth a maximum of 50% of the total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 20 points out of 50: The essay illustrates poor understanding of the relevant material by failing to address or incorrectly addressing the relevant content; failing to identify or inaccurately explaining/defining key concepts/ideas; ignoring or incorrectly explaining key points/claims and the reasoning behind them; and/or incorrectly or inappropriately using terminology; and elements of the response are lacking. 30 points out of 50: The essay illustrates a rudimentary understanding of the relevant material by mentioning but not full explaining the relevant content; identifying some of the key concepts/ideas though failing to fully or accurately explain many of them; using terminology, though sometimes inaccurately or inappropriately; and/or incorporating some key claims/points but failing to explain the reasoning behind them or doing so inaccurately. Elements of the required response may also be lacking. 40 points out of 50: The essay illustrates solid understanding of the relevant material by correctly addressing most of the relevant content; identifying and explaining most of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology; explaining the reasoning behind most of the key points/claims; and/or where necessary or useful, substantiating some points with accurate examples. The answer is complete. 50 points: The essay illustrates exemplary understanding of the relevant material by thoroughly and correctly addressing the relevant content; identifying and explaining all of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology explaining the reasoning behind key points/claims and substantiating, as necessary/useful, points with several accurate and illuminating examples. No aspects of the required answer are missing. Use of Sources (worth a maximum of 20% of the total points). Zero points: Student failed to include citations and/or references. Or the student failed to submit a final paper. 5 out 20 points: Sources are seldom cited to support statements and/or format of citations are not recognizable as APA 6th Edition format. There are major errors in the formation of the references and citations. And/or there is a major reliance on highly questionable. The Student fails to provide an adequate synthesis of research collected for the paper. 10 out 20 points: References to scholarly sources are occasionally given; many statements seem unsubstantiated. Frequent errors in APA 6th Edition format, leaving the reader confused about the source of the information. There are significant errors of the formation in the references and citations. And/or there is a significant use of highly questionable sources. 15 out 20 points: Credible Scholarly sources are used effectively support claims and are, for the most part, clear and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition is used with only a few minor errors. There are minor errors in reference and/or citations. And/or there is some use of questionable sources. 20 points: Credible scholarly sources are used to give compelling evidence to support claims and are clearly and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition format is used accurately and consistently. The student uses above the maximum required references in the development of the assignment. Grammar (worth maximum of 20% of total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 5 points out of 20: The paper does not communicate ideas/points clearly due to inappropriate use of terminology and vague language; thoughts and sentences are disjointed or incomprehensible; organization lacking; and/or numerous grammatical, spelling/punctuation errors 10 points out 20: The paper is often unclear and difficult to follow due to some inappropriate terminology and/or vague language; ideas may be fragmented, wandering and/or repetitive; poor organization; and/or some grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors 15 points out of 20: The paper is mostly clear as a result of appropriate use of terminology and minimal vagueness; no tangents and no repetition; fairly good organization; almost perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage. 20 points: The paper is clear, concise, and a pleasure to read as a result of appropriate and precise use of terminology; total coherence of thoughts and presentation and logical organization; and the essay is error free. Structure of the Paper (worth 10% of total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 3 points out of 10: Student needs to develop better formatting skills. The paper omits significant structural elements required for and APA 6th edition paper. Formatting of the paper has major flaws. The paper does not conform to APA 6th edition requirements whatsoever. 5 points out of 10: Appearance of final paper demonstrates the student’s limited ability to format the paper. There are significant errors in formatting and/or the total omission of major components of an APA 6th edition paper. They can include the omission of the cover page, abstract, and page numbers. Additionally the page has major formatting issues with spacing or paragraph formation. Font size might not conform to size requirements. The student also significantly writes too large or too short of and paper 7 points out of 10: Research paper presents an above-average use of formatting skills. The paper has slight errors within the paper. This can include small errors or omissions with the cover page, abstract, page number, and headers. There could be also slight formatting issues with the document spacing or the font Additionally the paper might slightly exceed or undershoot the specific number of required written pages for the assignment. 10 points: Student provides a high-caliber, formatted paper. This includes an APA 6th edition cover page, abstract, page number, headers and is double spaced in 12’ Times Roman Font. Additionally, the paper conforms to the specific number of required written pages and neither goes over or under the specified length of the paper. GET THIS PROJECT NOW BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK TO PLACE THE ORDER
CLICK ON THE LINK HERE: https://www.perfectacademic.com/orders/ordernow
Also, you can place the order at www.collegepaper.us/orders/ordernow / www.phdwriters.us/orders/ordernow
Do You Have Any Other Essay/Assignment/Class Project/Homework Related to this? Click Here Now [CLICK ME]and Have It Done by Our PhD Qualified Writers!!