William K. Clifford’s parable of the shipowner

1. Explain William K. Clifford’s parable of the shipowner and explain what conclusion Clifford uses the parable to illustrate. Next, explain whether Clifford is a consequentialist (utilitarian) – does Clifford believe that the shipowner’s belief was immoral because the ship sank? What would Clifford say about the shipowner’s belief had the ship not sank? Make sure to explain how your answer entails that Clifford is, or is not, a consequentialist. Finally, give three reasons offered by Clifford in support of the claim that “it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence”.
2. Explain why Judith Jarvis Thomson grants the opponent of abortion the claim that personhood begins at the moment of conception. Then present the “Extreme View” against abortion. After that, explain how Thomson seeks to undermine the Extreme View. To do so, first explain why Thomson thinks a mother should be able to perform an abortion on herself when her life is threatened; then explain why Thomson thinks it would be permissible for a third-party to perform an abortion on the mother when her life is threatened. Finally, explain why Thomson supports abortion rights in cases where the mother’s life is not threatened using the Ailing Violinist parable. Make sure in your answer to explain the distinction between having a right to life and having a right to life at someone else’s expense.
3. What is a “bullshit job” according to David Graeber? Why is the prevalence of bullshit jobs surprising to Graeber in light of John Maynard Keynes’ 1930 prediction about the future of work (make sure to explain Keynes’ prediction)? Give three examples of a bullshit job and why they are bullshit according to Graeber’s conception. Then explain how the tendency to attach moral worth to work has contributed to the increase in bullshit jobs. Finally, explain what you believe should be done about the prevalence of bullshit jobs. Do you think this phenomenon is a morally neutral fact about our social world, such that nothing should be done? Do you think it is a good thing that so many people have job, even if they count as bullshit? Or do you think such a phenomenon is morally impermissible, and that something should be done about it? Explain your answer.
4. What is Epicurus’s stance on whether death matters to us, and whether death is harmful? Why does the possibility of death being harmful to us entail that there are possibly unexperienced harms? Then explain the Ashe thought experiment and how it serves to illustrate that there could be unexperienced harms. After that, explain why Suits thinks the Ashe thought experiment does not demonstrate that there can be unexperienced harms. Explain also why Suits believes that harm must be experienced for it to count as genuine harm. Do you agree with Suits? Why or why not?

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