BCS Written Philosophy case studies
BCS Written Philosophy · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The BCS Written Philosophy examination is an essay-based assessment used within Bangladesh's BCS (Bangladesh Civil Service) competitive recruitment process. Candidates sitting the written stage of the general cadre and related cadres choose optional subjects, and Philosophy is one of the popular optional papers. The BCS Written Philosophy case studies are 5 cases and about 2,413 words.
1The Archive Fire and the Causal Theory of Reference
A university library fire in 1998 destroyed every physical record of a little-known 19th-century naturalist, including her name on all labels. Before the fire, a curator had told a graduate student, Mira, 'The woman who collected these 300 beetles was Ada Rennick.' Mira remembers the beetle collection and the name, though she now cannot recall the curator's face or any biographical detail.
498 words, about 2 min2The Hospital Ethics Committee and Double Effect
A palliative care team asks a hospital ethics committee about increasing morphine for a terminally ill patient, Mr. Okafor, whose pain is severe and poorly controlled.
470 words, about 2 min3The Reparations Debate and the Non-Identity Problem
A city council debates a proposal to fund scholarships for descendants of residents displaced by an urban renewal project in 1962. The displacement destroyed a neighborhood; many families lost homes and businesses.
444 words, about 2 min4The Replication Crisis and Epistemic Justification
A psychology department reviews a widely cited 2011 study reporting that a brief intervention improved exam performance. The original sample was 200 students; a 2023 replication with 1,200 students finds an effect close to zero.
436 words, about 2 min5The Autonomous Vehicle and the Trolley Problem
An engineering firm is programming a self-driving car's emergency policy. In a rare failure mode, the car can either stay in its lane and strike two pedestrians who have entered the road illegally, or swerve and strike one pedestrian standing on the pavement.
565 words, about 3 min