Snowden’s actions encompass level two and four of Kohlberg’s moral development. In stage two “one acts” on personal interest and supports individualism ("Kohlberg's Moral Stages." xx). However, for the NSA, Snowden should have acted in closer regards to stage four which focuses on social systems and conscience in his allegiance to the organization. Stage four supports the desired actions on Snowden’s behalf by “fulfilling the duties to which he had agreed and upholding the law” ("Kohlberg's Moral Stages." xx). The preceding supports the argument of why Snowden is a thief and traitor with respect to the NSA, nonetheless it also fails to support the autonomy which is valued within our society and has been a large part of our democratic values of freedom since the United States inception. Whistleblower and Patriot The rebuttal to the Snowden’s labeling as a whistleblower and patriot stems from the same ethical theory’s that would label him as a traitor and thief. The preceding is indicative of ethical dilemma which encompasses this case. Snowden’s work involved a large amount of responsibility in safe guarding the information that he had access to. Nonetheless, the information Snowden attained conflicted with the morals, reasoning and values that Snowden holds as an individual. The preceding traits are awarded with the same decency by many individuals within our society and this is why many people support Snowden’s actions. From a deontological standpoint Snowden acted in the correct way by acting in a way that supported the greatest good for the greatest number of people. This is validated by the statements Snowden made on his actions. This theory fails to take into account the adverse consequences of Snowden’s actions on th... ... middle of paper ... ...him to also take into account the duty he had to the American citizens which feel that an invasion of privacy is unethical. In leaking the information and making the supporting parties aware of their invasion of privacy Snowden justifies his actions by fulfilling his duty in safeguarding the right to privacy of the affected parties. Once again when Snowden actions are viewed from an ethical lense of moral relativism they are justified due to the importance of privacy place on the effected parties who are monitored by the NSA. The vagueness and simplistic application of moral relativism is precisely why this approach is less commonly debated. The opposite continuum of circumstances which would label Snowden a whistleblower in regards to his supportive group are the same circumstances which his non-supporters use to discredit his actions when applying the theory of
Kevin M. Gallagher. 2013. Freedom of the Press Foundation. Glenn Greenwald, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: 'I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things'. Video file posted on YouTube on June 9, 2013.
Snowden felt a sense of responsibility to inform American citizens of the existence of programs and policies that have been developed under
Edward Snowden is America’s most recent controversial figure. People can’t decide if he is their hero or traitor. Nevertheless, his leaks on the U.S. government surveillance program, PRISM, demand an explanation. Many American citizens have been enraged by the thought of the government tracing their telecommunication systems. According to factbrowser.com 54% of internet users would rather have more online privacy, even at the risk of security (Facts Tagged with Privacy). They say it is an infringement on their privacy rights of the constitution. However, some of them don’t mind; they believe it will help thwart the acts of terrorists. Both sides make a good point, but the inevitable future is one where the government is adapting as technology is changing. In order for us to continue living in the new digital decade, we must accept the government’s ability to surveil us.
One Snowden supporter is John Cassidy, who states that the public has the right to know the information Snowden brought forth. This information includes domestic spying. Without him, innocent people would continue to be spied on by the government without knowledge. Americans should know what the people in charge of the country are doing and how they are violating the rights of Americans. Cassidy claims that Snowden was smart in not releasing all information, so America is not in grave danger. According to Cassidy’s article, Snowden played the role of a moral American who felt the need to protect the public, and therefore, should not be punished. However, Cassidy comes to quick conclusions, displays faulty evidence, and gives no consideration to the opposing side so that the reader will unquestionably think “the scales are clearly tipped in Snowden’s favor.”
If someone broke the law trying to help the American keep their constitutional rights, would you consider them a hero or a criminal? Well that’s exactly what’s going on today with Edward Snowden. In 2013 Edward Snowden leaked classified information to the American people, information that shined a light on the dark things that the U.S government was doing behind closed doors. He revealed that the U.S government has been going against the constitution and taking away our freedoms. The U.S government has been taking away our freedoms however, Snowden is being called the criminal. Thesis Statement here.
While the words Traitor and Hero are easy to define and understand it is the perspective of the viewer and society they exist within that gives the words relevance. A Traitor to one may be a Hero to another. In this Essay the researcher hopes to demonstrate that Edward Snowden is both a Hero and a Traitor.
In early June 2013, Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former defense contractor who had access to NSA database while working for an intelligence consulting company, leaked classified documents reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) is recording phone calls of millions of Americans along with gathering private data and spying foreign Internet activity. The Washington Post later broke the news disclosed PRISM, a program can collect data on Internet users. The leaked documents publicly stated a vast objection. Many people were shocked by the scale of the programs, even elected representatives were unaware of the surveillance range. A nationwide debate over privacy rights have been sparked. Although supporters claim that the NSA only does its best to protect the United States from terrorists as well as respecting Americans' rights and privacy, many civil rights advocates feel that the government failed to be clear about the limit of the surveillance programs, threatening Americans' civil...
Korte, Gregory. “FBI Director: Snowden Not a ‘hero Whistle-blower”’ Www.13wmaz.com. 13WMAZ, 9 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 May. 2014.
In short, Edward Snowden released information that the United States government was keeping secret. His most recent job, where he compiled most of the information for his breach, included working for Booz Allen Hamilton at the National Security Agency in Hawaii (the biggest security establishment in the world). Snowden, as reason for his security breach said “I don’t want to live in a society that does these sorts of things.” In this statement he refers to the immense secrets that the U.S. government is keeping from its people. So, the debate still goes on: Yes Edward Snowden broke the law, but was it for a good reason?
Rather than allow the numerous repercussions Snowden now faces stop him, Snowden chose to make the public aware of wrongs committed against them, even if it meant going against the government. The American people and their right to their privacy drove Edward Snowden to make a personal decision, and the result was not that of a traitor, but that of a hero and a man undeserving of the hatred and rejection made by the country he was striving to support.
Conclusion- if you are going to do something, then at least limit it to what you said you would do. The government clearly did not do this by spying on its citizens, therefore bring into question the trust its citizens can bestow in it.
Many people have mixed feelings about how they should differentiate Edward Snowden as a hero or a traitor. It is true what he had done was unjust and could have been handled another way without all the drama and getting nicknamed traitor by many and hero by few. His act on the NSA forced him into making a deal with Russia to stay at an asylum for a year, because some people in Russia believed in what he had done and did not doubt him unlike some people who thought of Snowden as a traitor to the government. There has been many polls, articles and interviews on Edward Snowden and how people thinks about his act of “exposing” the NSA for spying into the citizens personal life. Some may differ with Snowden by saying, what the NSA is doing is to protect the pe...
Edward Snowden. This is a name that will be in the history books for ages. He will be branded a traitor or a whistleblower depending on where you look. Many Americans feel that Edward Snowden is a traitor who sold the United States’ secrets aiming to harm the nation. Others believe that he was simply a citizen of the United States who exercised his right to expose the government for their unconstitutional actions. It is important to not only know the two sides to the argument of friend or foe, but to also know the facts as well. My goal in this paper is to present the facts without bias and to adequately portray the two sides of the argument.
In conclusion, Edward Snowden was justified in leaking the unlawful actions conducted by the NSA because he wanted to uphold the constitutional rights of privacy, which Americans are entitled to. While few may view Edward Snowden as a traitor for sharing sensitive information to the public, many commend him for his courageousness. Snowden broke the law in order to expose the unlawful practices conducted by governments officials. It is unfortunate to live in a society where the people elected to protect the rights of the people are the ones violating them.. It takes a lot of strength and courage for one man to stand up against the government, to protect the rights of an entire nation. Edward Snowden will go down in history as one of the most notorious whistle blowers
The Web. The Web. 28 Oct. 2015. The "Edward Snowden Biography." Bio.com.