Drawing Conclusions: Ethics and Mathematics

When I was in my 1st year of high school, I decided to join the Debate Team of my school because it was one of the extra-curricular activities that really intrigued me. Being a new member, a lot of the methods the veterans of the team used in their speeches surprised me. Before, I thought that debate mostly involved insulting one’s opponent and making him seem stupid. However, I was proven very wrong as that not only fail to provide any substantial argument that would prove any point, but was also banned and could lead to a loss. Most of the topics, which were called motions, were ethical in nature, and through the use of rational premises and arguments, each team should support a side to prove their point. It resembled how we proved certain propositions in Math class when we used postulates and theories. The similarity led me to wonder if the step-by-step method we use to reach a conclusion in math can be used in the topics we discuss in the Debate Team. This leads me to my thesis statement: the nature of Ethics and Mathematics must be changed for both to be compatible.

Reason is used most, if not all the time to formulate valid arguments and to prove points using logic. It allows people to understand and form judgments about certain topics. In mathematics, this is used extensively as all math propositions are proven using theorems and postulates as the arguments until a conclusion is formulated. The other ways of knowing don’t feature as prominently in this area of knowledge.

Ethics also involves reason substantially. When two sides in an ethical argument debate a topic, their reasons frequently try to appeal to reason by including ethical issues, concepts, consequences, and implications in their arguments.

However, when d...

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...s own laws.

Despite that, I still stick with my belief that ethics needs to be absolute for it to be reconciled with mathematics and consequently, have conclusions that are as well-supported. It is only through the establishment of a universal ethical code that the two can coexist. Hypothetically, this would be very beneficial to the state of the world. Each moral dilemma can be solved as easily as math problems. Seeing as how a lot of the conflicts in the world today are caused by ethical differences and disagreements, having a universal ethical code can lead to a more peaceful world. This is easier said than done though, and for some, it is and will always just be wishful thinking. People’s differences are too much to overcome, and sorting out conflicts isn’t as simple as having a set of theorems and principles with which we can manipulate a certain situation.