Throughout the course of time and through many studies of philosophy the question of how should we behave as individuals has been asked by many of the world's greatest thinkers. Some of the more insightful approaches to how one should behave are found in the philosophies of African Communitarianism or "Ubuntu" by Munyaka and Mokgethi Motlhabi and Existentialism or Virtue Ethics of Aristotle.
Ubuntu is known as a set of institutionalized which direct the patterns of life of Africans. African people consider Ubuntu to be the most important quality of umntu ( a human being ). According to Chinkanda, it is a defined as a positive quality that one possesses. It is the eternal state of being or the very essence of being human. Individuals are looked at as one whole community. It is a disposition and it concerns values that contribute to the well-being of other individuals as well as the community. Ubuntu is identified with behaving according to one's human nature, and by implication, in a manner befitting a human being. Someone who lacks Ubuntu is viewed as inhuman. It represents a behavior that is instilled in individuals by society over a period of time. It is not just a manifestation of individual acts. It is better described as spiritual foundation, and inner state, or disposition towards good which motivates, challenges and makes one perceive, feel and act in a humane way towards others individuals. Ubuntu is a way of life that seeks to promote and manifest itself and is best realized made evident in harmonious relations within society. One of the basic focal points of the ethics of Ubuntu is that a person is a person, through other persons. This helps to eliminate personal egos and this is why Africans are more willing t...
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... ideal society with the basic view of anarchism No state is the ideal state. Government is tyrannical, violent, and prevents people from living as human beings. Religion is evil allows us to subjugate our selves which strips us of freedom. She also does not downplay violence and things such as negative emotions and actions. She is much rather for violence than against it. While Aristotle focused on virtues and straying away from extremes, Goldman welcomes what Aristotle would have labeled evil. She is much for radical ideas and actions which would be vices or actions and emotions that have no means whatsoever. She believes these radical ideas help deal with the initial problems presented to us that at times we choose to ignore. Under virtue ethics however, this would lead us further away from Eudaimonia because it would be going against our function as human beings.
In my film analysis I will be discussing some of the fourteen principles of a satisfactory moral system and a good ethical decision. I will also discuss how some of the characters use the theory of care ethicist (care ethicist is to treat others as a human being fairly or equally) and virtue theorist (virtue theorist is doing the hard thing). My movie analysis is on John Q.
We have studied the two major theories that answer the question, “who should I be?”. These theories are egoism and altruism. In this paper, I will argue that the correct moral theory lies in-between the theories of egoism and altruism.
In the essay titled “Anarchism,” Emma Goldman provides a defense of anarchism and attempts to persuade skeptics of the philosophy’s efficacy. Specifically, Goldman attempts to convince the reader that, contrary to the skeptics’ arguments, anarchism is functional in practice and not just an abstract idea. Goldman argues that the current capitalist social structure is inherently exploitative and dominating, particularly of the working class, and an anarchistic future is the most practical solution to the ills of society. While Goldman dismisses the critics that argue that anarchism is a nice idea in theory but is not practical, I disagree with Goldman’s assessment. Although anarchism has worthwhile qualities and, in theory, would provide solutions to certain scourges on individuals, anarchism is not a functional philosophy and would not be as successful in practice at alleviating human suffering as it sounds in theory.
There are numerous ethical schools of individualism and copious individualists with different perspectives on the idea of individualism. In this paper, I have selected the following ethical individualism to expose and critique: 1) ontological individualism, 2) methodological individualism, and 3) moral or political individualism.
A personal code of ethics entails written ideas and beliefs that guide one on how they should behave and relate to their family, colleagues, and the society at large. My personal code of ethics act as a foundation for distinguishing good from bad deeds and assists me to determine the rightful emotions and actions to engage in. My family, friends, and the society play a major part in the development of my personal principles and values, including excellence, integrity, responsibility, ambition, respecting family, accountability, and determination. The values enable me to associate well with my family, colleagues, friends, and the society. This paper describes my personal code of ethics in detail and compares it to the United Nation’s (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the NASWA Code of Ethics.
If we were to follow the four principles we would first need to look at the principle of autonomy
During this time, in 1910, one of her most distinguished pieces of literature was published. In Anarchism: What It Really Stands For, Goldman begins with a quote about anarchy from John Henry Mackay, a Scottish-German anarchist author and philosopher. This quote ends with a notable bit, in which Mackay declares, “I am an Anarchist! Wherefore I will not rule, and also ruled I will not be.” Goldman continues in, saying that the main issue the masses have with anarchism is born out of ignorance on the topic. Most people who are unfamiliar with this ideology peg it as being focused on violence and chaos. Goldman refutes this untrue claim, saying that the very thing anarchism is looking to combat is ignorance and nothing else. By its definition, anarchism strives to allow people to think for themselves, to break free from societal restraints, and unlearn the lies that have been spoon fed to us. Goldman says that anarchism is special, in that it is the only ideology that encourages humanity to think for themselves, and the only one that insists God, the state, and society are, and should remain, non existent. The only thing worth relying on to bring people together as a collective whole is anarchism, and it cannot and should not be ignored any longer. Further in her piece, she alludes to Pierre-Joseph Proudhon’s piece on property, and
Virtue ethics is a moral theory that was first developed by Aristotle. It suggests that humans are able to train their characters to acquire and exhibit particular virtues. As the individual has trained themselves to develop these virtues, in any given situation they are able to know the right thing to do. If everybody in society is able to do the same and develop these virtues, then a perfect community has been reached. In this essay, I shall argue that Aristotelian virtue ethics is an unsuccessful moral theory. Firstly, I shall analyse Aristotelian virtue ethics. I shall then consider various objections to Aristotle’s theory and evaluate his position by examining possible responses to these criticisms. I shall then conclude, showing why Aristotelian virtue ethics is an unpractical and thus an unsuccessful moral theory in reality.
...he most important characteristic, others may find it rude and the worst. How can we choose which ethics to proceed with? It would be much easier with a small group of people like in Lord of the Flies, however when we are talking about a government to control millions it becomes much more complex. In conclusion, I think it would be in everyone’s interest to attempt to use our morals while updating our society.
The viewpoint held by Aristotle placed ethics beyond the arena of theoretical and into the empirical, observable world of human behavior. The nature of the behavior is the purpose of the action, and as such, defines the ethical component. Inasmuch as individuals dwell within a society, there exists an ethical component to community behavior and is grounde...
To all humans, the most important and influential thing is arguably your own morals. It decides the things you do, the things you say, and controls your overall desires and goals. Morals come from many places, such as nature versus nurture. Many of your morals come from your parents, be it because you learned what they taught, good or bad, or dislike what they taught so you chose the opposite, the rest is already consciously and basically instinctual. This is a very simple way to explain something very complex. In Appendix A, George Washington’s “Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation” there is a list of basic morals and behaviors that he believes everyone should be aware of and it is a very interesting read, especially if some of them you may have never considered. While the list can be outdated at times because of the progression of society and culture, a lot of these rules are still very important. In appendix B, there are a list of ‘cognitive bias’ or things that happen subconsciously that effect the way we view things or act. These two sets of information offer a very interesting perspective, especially when applied to each other. From these lists, I have picked a total of 15 rules that I believe to be the most important in becoming a self-aware individual who is
Truth and beliefs contribute in building the knowledge of a person. Cogent reasons for the beliefs convert the beliefs into knowledge. However, sometimes the beliefs are actually assumption, so they may be wrong. Truth is the facts known from different sources. Something can be considered as knowledge, only if it is true. The word epistemology refers to studying the source of knowledge. The epistemology helps in understanding the process of development of knowledge, sources of knowledge and makes distinctions between belief and actual truth. I critically examined and analyzed the origin and the process of acquiring the knowledge for the two essays I wrote earlier. One essay, an analytical one, was written on the subject of increasing prison population and improper justice system. The second essay was written on the subject of human resource management. To develop the knowledge and understanding I demonstrated in the essays, I had to search for resources, rationalize the information gained and evaluate it in conjunction with my personal beliefs.
One of the desirability of virtue ethics is the elasticity to measure each situation independently, searching for action guidance in bearing in mind what a naturally virtuous person would do. This would be clarified and informed by the pertinent facts and personal ethical sensitivities of that situation. This permits and heartens creative resolutions to very difficult problems, which may be harder to disc...
It has more to do with character and the nature of what it is to be. human, than with the rights and wrongs of our actions. Instead of concentrating on what is the right thing to do, virtue ethics asks how. you can be a better person. Aristotle says that those who do lead a virtuous life, are very happy and have a sense of well-being.
... is impossible for one to accommodate for all the desires of others throughout one's life. Asking from a person to give his all to everyone would be degrading to his or her moral identity. Yet, there should always be certain limit of consideration to the people we share our lives with, or even those we interact with on regular basis. Being settled in communities and societies creates a moral obligation on each person towards others. I believe that almost all moral theories fail at some point. Henceforth I think that one should rely on common sense morality, and evaluate each situation according to the limits and conditions governing it. In some situations egoism might be the most rational and moral doctrine to follow, yet in others one should be completely altruistic, so the matter becomes dependent on the moral agent for the evaluation of each situation separately.