Responses to essay prompts should be organized, clear, accurate, and complete.
1-Many think ethical relativism has difficulty with moral improvement. First, how does ethical relativism seem to have trouble with the idea that we might advocate for or try to pressure people to change? When does this seem possible and when does it not seem possible? What point does Hinman try to make with the example of the racist society? Second, can the relativist offer a good account of moral progress? Explain what moral progress is and how relativism seems to have trouble with it. In what sense, if any, can an ethical relativist talk about moral progress? (600-700 words)
2-In recent decades, Americans have been reconsidering their treatment of persons with physical handicaps or disabilities in a number of different areas of life, including education and sports. The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) has been a major factor in requiring equal access to public facilities for persons with disabilities. Imagine that a proposal has been put to your local school board to institute a limited sports programs for students with physical impairments. The projected cost of running such a program would be approximately four times as much per student as is spent on the regular sports programs, although the number of students is much lower. How would a Rule Utilitarian evaluate this proposal? Would they be for it or against it? Be sure to explain the decision procedure in your answer. What seem like the most plausible options? Who is affected in each case and how? Which option seems best in the end from a Rule Utilitarian point of view? (600-700 words)
