Philosophy 277--001 Essay Topics Winter 2010 Due end of Term

Philosophy 277--001 Essay Topics
Winter 2010
Due end of Term
I encourage students to choose and formulate an essay topic for themselves,
but if this is not possible students may choose from one in the list below. If
you formulate your own, please pass it by me first. You may want to prepare
a brief proposal to bounce off me. You must avoid writing on a topic you
wrote or focused on in your article review.
In an argumentative style essay (see my website for information regarding
how to write philosophy papers or consult the department's website for
relevant resources) formulate a focused response to one of the following
topics/questions. Please document your work with a consistent form of
documentation and a Works Cited page. Your paper should be between 7-10
double-spaced pages.
1. Find a case study or case involving any issue in science and
technology and analyze it. You will need to get access to a couple of
documents I produced on how to conduct a normative case study
analysis. Argue a case for how it should be resolved.
2. Explore the ethical issues of Closed Source Software. In particular you
might want to examine Microsoft’s software and practice. You might
want to write a paper arguing why closed source software is ethically
undesirable or even wrong.
3. Examine a code of ethics from some science profession (see my links
page for a site to start a search for one of these codes). Critically
evaluate this code and argue a case for or against having the items
and the code. Your argument should also try to make a case for or
against the use of codes.
4. In an argumentative paper, attempt to argue a case for or against
protecting the public from access to scientific information. Proceed to
formulate a thesis about whether there is a need to censor scientific
knowledge or information.
5. “Hacker Ethics” Critically examine Steve Mizrach’s internet article at
www.fiu.edu/~mizrachs/hackethic.html. You can get to this article
from my link entitle “A Nice Resource to Links in Almost All Areas
within the field of Science and Society.” Click on “Ethics,” “Computer
Ethics,” “Computer Hacking” and then “Old and New Hacker Ethics.”
6. Find an article on the Normative Values or value judgements in
science or any particular science, such as biology, chemistry, etc.

Argue some case as to how these values should guide or not guide or
direct this science or science in general.
7. Examine the webpage of any corporation producing a new technology.
(This could include Zyvex, a nanotechnology company) In particular
compose an essay about what guidelines the corporation has for
making, using and marketing the technological products. More
pointedly try to argue what social responsibilities the corporation has
in making and selling its products.
8. Research the science of Global Positioning Systems. Argue a case for
how this technology should be used and how it should be regulated. In
your consideration discuss privacy and its value and how privacy
relates to social concerns of safety.
9. Acquire a competing set of ethical guidelines on the use of
Nanotechnology. Compare and contrast these and argue for which one
is better. You may want simply to visit a number of websites to get
these guidelines.
10. Conduct limited research on the Echelon program and TIA. Gather
data on what these programs/practices involve from some reliable
internet source and consult page 301 of the text for relevant
document sources. Does the existing regulation surrounding them,
including the Wyden amendment, safeguard them from abuses of
privacy?
11. In assessing further the viability of reviving nuclear power, research
the workings of the latest model reactors, including the pebble-bed, as
well as new storage and disposal technology. Does the safety or
efficiency of these new technologies help us decide whether or not to
revive this alternative energy source?
12. Do some internet research to gather Microsoft's, Yahoos and Google's
policies or positions on internet neutrality. Analyze their positions and
attempt to formulate recommendations to resolve the policy
differences.
13. Issue 6 in our text debates whether hydrogen will replace fossil fuels
for cars. Examine the debate, analyze the ethical issues and values at
its center and formulate an argument about why should or should not
hydrogen be a fuel replacement.