PHL 205 - CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES
SECOND MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE
SPRING 2016
  PART 1 PART 2
IMMIGRATION (Part 2): What are the costs associated with illegal immigration? Are there any benefits? What is assimilation? What social problems can be created by large numbers of immigrants moving into a country at a rapid pace? What is the "melting pot" concept and how is it different from the new "salad bowl" analogy being promulgated by multiculturalism and diversity advocates? How is the classical liberal notion of tolerance different from the post-modern concept of diversity and multiculturalism? What special problems does a democratic society create for citizens of a country receiving large numbers of immigrants? What kinds of jobs are taken by illegal immigrants? What effect do they have on unemployment and the wages of American citizens? What would be the likely result of dramatic reductions in illegal immigration?

What is the term illegal alien more accurate and descriptive than "undocumented worker" or "undocumented immigrant"? What special financial burdens to illegal immigrants place on local, state and Federal government? What is the single largest cost? Do governments recoup these costs in taxes or other economic benefits from the work of illegal immigrants? What is the DREAM Act? What is President Obama's recent Executive Order regarding younger illegal immigrants between the ages of 15 and 30 (known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA) How might they be regarded as unconstitutional or a violation of his oath of office?

VEGETARIANISM AND ANIMAL RIGHTS: What's the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan? What is a lacto- or ovo- vegetarian? A pescatarian? What sort of diet did human beings evolve to eat? In other words, what sort of diet does it appear we were "designed" to eat: herbivore, carnivore or omnivore? Are there any health risks associated with eating meat, particularly the amount of meat in the typical American diet? How does the health of the typical vegetarian or vegan compare to the health of the typical meat eater? According to evidence presented in class, can a person get all the nutrition they need to be healthy without eating meat? What nutritional deficits if any, are there in a vegan diet?

How are the animals used to produce the meat you buy in a supermarket or eat in a restaurant typically treated? Are there any arguments against eating "free range" animals which are treated humanely? What are some arguments for and against hunting? What is atavism? How does meat-eating affect the environment and consumption of natural resources? What is the alien analogy? What is the pet analogy? What is speciesism? What is the moral principle of "equal consideration of interests"? What is the difference between a vital and trivial interest, and how does this relate to meat eating? How might one respond to the argument that animals wouldn't hesitate to eat us and eat each other, therefore it’s OK for us to eat them? What response could one make to the argument that it’s natural for human beings to eat meat, therefore it is morally permissible? What slippery slope argument is there in favor of eating meat? What are the economics of eating a vegetarian diet?

What information was produced by Lin Silvan of The Eugene Vegetarian Resource Network (EVEN)?