Discussion #9 - Morals and Money

In our modern culture it seems that money is king. (It makes the world go round, right?) But are there things that money shouldn’t be able to buy? Are there things that should not be treated as market goods or services?

Consider the following cases: (We will talk about these, and others, in class!)

1. In the American Civil War, men who were drafted for the army had the option of hiring a substitute to take their place, or paying a fee to avoid military service. Are these practices tantamount to selling off one’s duty as a citizen, or are they perfectly acceptable market transactions? Does it make a difference whether the transaction takes place during a war or in peacetime?
2. A surrogacy contract is an agreement to carry to term someone else’s baby in one’s own body in exchange for money. Should people be allowed to act as surrogate mothers? Should prospective parents be allowed to pay for their services? Should surrogacy contracts be enforced by the courts, even if the surrogate mother changes her mind and wants to keep the baby?
3. What do think about the morality of prostitution? Is it morally wrong to sell (or rent?) the use of one’s sexual organs? Is it morally wrong to buy sex? Should be it legal to buy or sell sex?
4. There are Web sites on the internet that advertise grooms and brides. Is it morally wrong to buy a marriage partner from them, assuming that the transaction is voluntary and the bride or groom agrees to marry you?

Discussion #8 - Utilitarianism

1.     Suppose we have $1 million of government money. We can use it either to build a new school for one hundred children, or to buy one million ice cream cones for one million children. Should we buy the ice cream cones, if that would produce the greatest balance of pleasure? Are all pleasures created equal?

Discussion #7 - What's The Right Thing To Do?

(Due before we return from Fall Break.)
Referring to the book "Justice" answer the following:

There are times when the only way to prevent harm to a large number of people is to hurt a smaller number of people. Is it always permissible to harm a smaller number of people in order to prevent harm to a large number?