PHIL 1213
Final Take-Home Essay Assignment
Directions:
Your assignment is to compose an essay (or set of essays) in which you respond to the questions below.
There are two parts (A and B) to the assignment, you must do both parts. In Part A you must pick TWO of
the three questions to answer. In Part B you are to respond to the scenario below by answering BOTH
questions listed. Be as detailed as possible; don’t simply list terms or parts of your answer without fully
explaining what is meant. In the cases where I ask for your opinion, you will need to not only offer your ideas,
but also support them as strongly as possible with evidence and persuasive reasons.
Questions:
Part A (PICK TWO):
1. Peter Singer on Global Poverty:
Peter Singer argues that we all have a moral obligation to provide aid to poor persons around the globe.
In order to make this argument, Singer first asks us to think about a hypothetical example where we are
walking by a child drowning in a shallow pond. (a) What is the “general moral principle” that Singer
claims we can derive from the example of a child drowning in a shallow pond? (b) Using this general
moral principle, he makes two separate arguments for a duty to aid the global poor: one with we called a
