Apply one of the theories (Kant’s deontology or utilitarianism) that we learned in Modules 3 & 4 to your applied ethics topic (animal rights, euthanasia, or global poverty). In order to do this, you must first explain the theory in general, then explain what position you think a Utilitarian or a Kantian would take on a specific issue related to your topic (e.g. vegetarianism for animal rights, giving to charity for global poverty, or assisting someone else in ending his/her life for euthanasia).
Part I
Explain either utilitarianism or Kant’s deontology. In doing so, you must explain the core principles or features of the theory (e.g. categorical imperative) as well as how one would decide what one ought to do when faced with a moral dilemma (come up with your own example here).
Part II
Apply either utilitarianism or deontology to the issue that you’ve decided to focus on from your applied ethics topic. This involves identifying a specific moral conclusion (e.g. it is morally permissible/wrong to kill animals for food according to utilitarianism) and explaining how that conclusion follows from the core principles that you identified in Part I.
Sample Solution