---
title: "Challenge: writing an ethical analysis"
course: "PHIL 110 · Make ethical calls about AI"
unit: "Ethical frameworks"
lesson: 17 of 40
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/make-ethical-calls-about-ai/challenge-writing-an-ethical-analysis
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Challenge: writing an ethical analysis

Lesson 17 of 40 in **Make ethical calls about AI** (PHIL 110), unit "Ethical frameworks". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Distinguish an ethical argument (takes a position and defends it with reasoning) from a description (lists perspectives without committing) and from an opinion (asserts without reasoning)
- Apply at least two ethical frameworks to the Purdue Pharma OxyContin marketing case, produce distinct analyses using each, and identify where they agree and where they conflict.
- Produce an ethical argument that draws on both frameworks, makes a judgment about which consideration should take priority, and defends that judgment.

## Teaching notes
Case: Purdue Pharma's OxyContin marketing (1996–2007) — Purdue knowingly minimized addiction risk in physician marketing materials while aggressively promoting the drug for chronic pain. Stakeholders include pain patients, addicted patients, physicians, regulators, and affected communities. The case produces genuine framework divergence: consequentialism must weigh early pain-relief benefits against later addiction harms; deontology condemns the deceptive marketing regardless of outcomes. There is no obviously correct answer — students must make a judgment and defend it.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 17 complete: Challenge: writing an ethical analysis."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "The business case for AI" (lesson 18 of 40), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/make-ethical-calls-about-ai/the-business-case-for-ai.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: When the toolkit fails: using your judgment
Next lesson: The business case for AI