Honors College Ethics Essay Competition Now Open! – DEADLINE 03/25
March 25, 2024
12:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Download iCal FileHONORS COLLEGE ETHICS ESSAY COMPETITION 2024
The Honors College sponsors an annual competition for an award in ethics. Thanks to the ongoing generosity of Mr. Bruno Pasquinelli, prizes of up to $3000 are awarded to students who submit the best short essays on a topic pertinent to ethics and society.
Instructions: choose one of the following topics for a well-crafted and detailed essay of 3000-3500 words.
A. Aristotle begins his Nicomachean Ethics by stating that all actions aim at some good. He expands on this obvious point by identifying the highest good (which he calls eudaimonia, often translated as “happiness” but signifying being of good spirit) and arguing that other things we consider goods, such as physical pleasure or success, are subordinate goods at best. Offer a discussion of the proposition that there is a single highest good, and of the claim of any one person (even if it’s Aristotle) to determine what the right goals and values of others should be.
B. One meaning of “academic” is: disengaged from any particular agenda or special interest. This form of critical distance has traditionally been seen as a virtue, but there are occasions when it may be harder to maintain. Provide an argument in favor of either disengaged discourse or advocacy in the academic realm, giving attention to the scholar’s duty to be truthful. Is a topic or subject ever isolable from the investigator’s own biases?
Your discussion should be a logically coherent and well-developed argument. A successful entry will not be a research paper, with none of your own view; nor will it be a mere opinion piece without serious engagement with the harder aspects of the question. It should be something uniquely your own, the product of close reading and critical thought.
There is no right answer, but uncritical repetition of a conventional position will be a wrong one. Entries will be judged on cogency and clarity, your careful use of material, and the orderly progression of your argument.
Submissions should be 7-10pp, double spaced, with parenthetical references instead of footnotes. In your introductory paragraph(s) you should have a clear thesis statement and indicate in some form what sources you are going to use and how you plan to unfold your argument.
Submissions are due Monday, March 25th, and winners will be announced in late April.
Date posted
Feb 12, 2024
Date updated
Feb 12, 2024