UNC Utilitarianism and Covid 19 Pandemic Discussion

In 1500-2000 words, answer one of the following questions. Papers must use a recognized citation system – e.g. MLA format – and must be double-spaced throughout. Students need not use sources that are not course readings. But, if students make empirical claims in their papers, they should cite a legitimate source – e.g. an academic study.

REQUIREMENTS

1. Thesis: Does the paper advance a clearly formulated thesis? Is the scope of the thesis appropriate? Or, does the paper set out to accomplish too much or too little?

2. Understanding and Reconstruction of Text/Positions/Arguments: Does the paper demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the text/arguments/positions under discussion? Does the paper support its interpretation of the text by appeal to textual evidence? Does the paper reconstruct the positions/arguments under discussion in a systematic way, making clear the way in which the different components of the argument/position fit together? Or, does the paper only present a superficial understanding of the text/arguments/position? Is the paper fair to the positions/arguments under discussion by reconstructing them charitably? Or, does the paper reconstruct the arguments in a way that fails to recognize their strength.

3. Strength of Argumentation: Does the paper present strong arguments to support its thesis? Does the paper consider possible objections to its position? Or, does the paper present arguments that invite immediate objections or that commit fallacies? Do the thesis and arguments of the paper consider the complexity of the issue under discussion? Or, does the paper advance claims that are overbroad or too general?

4. Organization: Is the paper well organized? Is its structure apparent to the reader? Does the paper proceed in a rational fashion? Does the paper contain a helpful introduction and conclusion?

5. Clarity of Expression: Is the paper clear? Does the paper use simple language and grammatical sentence structure? Does the paper define the concepts that it introduces?

Essay Question If more North Carolinians are infected with COVID-19, hospitals may need to start rationing care, including access to ventilators, ICU beds, and critical health staff. Suppose the North Carolina Secretary of Health and Human Services asks you to devise a plan that North Carolina hospitals may use to ethically set priorities among patients who need access to critical care in order to survive. What would you advise hospitals to do? To devise your plan, please work through the following questions. What is utilitarianism? How would a utilitarian set priorities among patients needing care? How might a utilitarian approach lead to older patients having a lesser chance of receiving care than younger patients? How might a utilitarian approach lead to people with co-morbidities – i.e. people already suffering from other chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes – having a lesser chance of receiving care than people without co-morbidities? Are these two consequences fair? Recall too that because of the social determinants of health, people with co-morbidities may be more likely to be low-income and racial minorities. On the whole, is a utilitarian approach to setting priorities just? If not, what is a just approach? First-come first-served? A Lottery? Priority to the worse off? To answer this question, it might be helpful to use the following table which outlines some typical patients hospitals are likely to encounter.