1. Plato and Aristotle held different views about the value of the influence of poetry, plays, and dramatic or literary narratives on people’s moral character and ethical knowledge. Briefly explain the views of each philosopher on this issue, and then compare their positions with the discussion in society today about the subject of violence in films, television, and video games. In your view, who gets it right, Plato or Aristotle? Explain and defend your choice using whatever evidence you believe to be relevant.
2. Chapter 3 in Rosenstand’s The Moral of the Story deals with the issue of moral truth—what is the morally right thing to do in a particular situation and what are the correct principles or guidelines for a living a morally good life? Moral subjectivism is the view that moral propositions are true only relative to the particular beliefs of a particular person or subject of experience; ethical relativism is the view that what is good, right, and morally correct is true relative to a particular cultural tradition and set of behavioral practices; and moral absolutism (this is what Rosenstand calls “hard universalism” is the view that there are universal moral truths or principles that hold for everyone, everywhere, at all times and under any circumstances.
