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Philosophy EE advice and help:


Jeroth

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I've chosen an EE in Philosophy, and I need a little bit of guidance from people who've written a Philosophy EE or otherwise know about how they work. 

 

I've read over the IB subject guide and the 2012 report and I've skimmed over some of the excellent essays (I'll read them more in depth as I progress in my own essay).

 

So far I have my mentor, research question, and an outline which I can link if anybody's interested. 

 

My RQ is this: "To what extent are moral and ethical values internally or externally determined, according to John Stuart Mill’s (Hedonistic) Utilitarianism, Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative, and Ayn Rand’s Objectivism?

 

My outline looks roughly like this:

 

 

Introduction

     RQ

     Background

     Thesis

 

Argument

     Presentation of each of the above systems (including criticism) and their relevance to the RQ

 

Analysis

     Strict analysis and interpretation of how exactly each system answers the RQ

     Analytical compare and contrast

 

Conclusion

     Answers the RQ

     Issues, unresolved questions, new areas of exploration

 

 

And of course I'll be using mostly primary sources and a few secondary sources

 

I know it seems vague and insubstantial at some parts- that's one of the things I'm working on 

 

So my questions are these:

 

 

  • Is my RQ focused enough? Should I narrow the topic itself, or limit myself to two or just one of the three systems (Utilitarianism, Categorical Imperative, Objectivism)?
  • One of the issues that the 2012 report really belabors is that some essays were descriptive, not analytical. How can I make sure that my essay is analysis-focused and it just doesn't describe and compare the systems?

 

Please feel free to answer these questions and also comment on your general thoughts on this, any fundamental or future problems, etc. 

 

Thanks for your help! 

 
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