Patriot Act Research Paper

PATRIOT Act Up
Aaron E. Smith
Instructor Telaireus Herrin
Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility
Ashford University
September 24, 2012

Just thirteen days ago we celebrated the eleventh anniversary of 9/11 attacks of the United States. To call it a celebration is a bit of an overstatement. It is more like a remembrance of the fallen heroes and people that died during these attacks. Since these attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001 occurred, American society has changed significantly. National security has demanded a closer guard on foreign and domestic threats by placing further investigation and laws that many say weaken the rights to privacy we Americans take for granted. The price that…show more content…
According to Geoffrey F. Scarre, “Utilitarian theories have been welfarist, consequentialist, aggregative and maximizing; historically, too, many have been universalist” (Scarre, 1996, p. 4) For the sake of length, I will focus on the consequentialist theory being that this is the theory I am relating to the PATRIOT Act, and will be contrasting it with the deontological theory point of view. Furthermore, a deontological theory judges an act with regards only to itself without any other events having an effect on its consideration whether it is right or wrong. Consequentialist Utilitarianism is a consequentialist principle in the thinking that it endorses that the appropriate reaction to its values is to promote them. The simplest form is known as act consequentialism, and it maintains that an action is right if it can realistically be expected to have an end result in a state of affairs at least as respectable as the alternative states of affairs that would have resulted from alternative achievable acts. Rule consequentialism (which I identify with the Patriot Act) holds that actions are right if they obey the rules whose overall observance could realistically be expected to have an end result in a set of states of affairs at least as respectable as the sets of states of affairs that would have resulted…show more content…
(1863). Utilitarianism. London, GBR: ElecBook, 1863. p. 13. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=2001606&ppg=11http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=2001606&ppg=11 Reuters. (2012, October 9). U.S. never responded to officer asking for more Benghazi security ahead of deadly terror attack. NationalPost.com. Retrieved on October 9, 2012 from http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/10/09/u-s-never-responded-to-officer-asking-for-more-benghazi-security-ahead-of-deadly-terror-attack/ Rohde, Stephen. (2011, October 26). The unpatriotic act: ten years later. Truthout.org. Retrieved October 5, 2012 from http://truth-out.org/news/item/4076:the-unpatriotic-act-ten-years-later
Scarre, Geoffrey F. (1996). Utilitarianism. London, GBR: Routledge, 1996. p 4. http://www.site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10058083&ppg=13 Summary of the PATRIOT Act. (n.d). Retrieved on September 23, 2012 from http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guideDesc.asp?catid=101&type=issue
The Library of Congress Thomas. (2001). H.R.3162 Bill Summary & Status 107th Congress (2001 - 2002). Retrieved on September 23, 2012 from