Rights: The Capacity to Suffer or The Capacity to Choose or Reason

Today in class we encountered questions that we will deal with throughout this course, especially when we enter debates about euthanasia and abortion, namely to whom do "rights" extend?  Should rights be based on the capacity to suffer (to experience pain, as Emi noted today) and thus more inclusive of other species or should rights be extended only to entities that have the capacity to reason or to choose (as Aldo pointed out)?  If rights should be granted to the former, then how should that affect how we live our lives on a day-to-day basis?  In composing your response, please craft an answer with 7-10 thoughtful and well-written sentences.  Thank you

Stephen Carter and the Relationship between Religion and Public Life in America

After reading the Foreword and Chapter One of Stephen Carter's The Culture of Disbelief, do you agree or disagree with Carter's view of the relationship between religion and public life in America today? In responding to this question, consider specific examples Carter mentions.  Does Carter offer a convincing reason why we should change or alter our approach to the way religion is discussed in public life? Please respond in at least 7-10 thoughtful sentences and include references to the book.

Religion and Morality

Can you have morality without religion? Are the two inherently linked? In composing your response, please craft an answer with 7-10 thoughtful and well-written sentences.  Thank you.