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Essays on what religion says about the death penalty
Aspects of moral relativism
Aspects of moral relativism
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“Doing the right thing” is can be based upon a number of different factors. First, there is generally a sense of what is absolute goodness. These are the absolute moral standards by which we should live our lives, given to us either either by a higher power or our cultural environment. In Christianity, for instance, this is expressed in the Ten Commandments absolute ethical laws divined by God, also shared by other major religions. In secular society, it is the rule of law, the consensus of the majority of society on the regulations by which that society should be governed. Balanced against this sense of absolute goodness is relative goodness. Relative goodness is still a moral rightness but dependent on a situation still agreed upon by society. The act of killing another person is a good example. In most situations, killing another is immoral and illegal. However, in acts of war, self defense, and capital punishment it is defended. Finally, there is subjective goodness. In this scenario, rightness is determined by the rationale of the promoter. Abortion doctor killers may believe they are saving future children. Law abiding society sees them as extremists. We are born as individuals, yet part of a larger context be it family, group, tribe, culture, organization, nation, world system or whatever it may be. Although we are usually driven to our own individual self-realization achieving the highest potential for ourselves achievement is usually within a context. Our drive is balanced by the rules under which we must live. We usually can't just do our own thing or we'd be branded a renegade or, even worse, criminal. Our rules for right living are generally taught to us by our influences family, religion, school. ... ... middle of paper ... ...e Boys and Girls Center, an after school program where kids receive help. The help may compensate for a dysfunctional family or environment. It obviously helps society. The cynical may say that the dysfunctional should help themselves, that all we are doing here is breeding dependency, yet we are also building our future. Disadvantaged children can one day when there older think back and remember what others have done for them and they will themselves become a person who helps someone in need. The Youth Center both encourages individual potential and in the long run helps social unity by giving kids and people in need the opportunity to succeed.There is no one answer to what is the " right thing." It is as complex as any social or moral question. Yet in its pursuit, we are educating ourselves on the diversity of goodness and the need for common understanding.
What does it take to make a human who they are? What influences affect each person in this spinning world of ours? Is it the parents and how much love each applies to raising an individual? Is it the environment to which they are born into? Humans are unpredictable at best, and when someone says they have humans figured out, they are proven wrong. We are creatures of habit who are never the same because of the very influences around us.
Beyond the basic need for a sense of control, people are driven by their sense of identity, of who they are. Each person lives in their own universes, which are centered upon their feelings of self-purpose. There are multiple types of identities, such as individual and group identities. Each person's identity is formed differently because of the unique experiences every individual encounters. The formation can be affected by many things such as their home environment, social interactions, and physiological health.
This idea is the topic of much of popular literature and media. Blade Runner is hailed as one of the most influential science fiction movies of its time and is still revered to this day as one of the best movies of all time. The plot of the movie, in short, is that there are hunters and there are replicants, the hunters are trying to make sure the replicants do not come back onto Earth for they have everything humans have, but emotions. The message behind Blade Runner though supports the idea of a single goal of the self that is built into every single one of us, be it human or replicant. The replicants came back to Earth to seek one thing, their creator, to possibly extend their life past four years because they wanted to experience so much more. All replicants had the same goal in life as humans, the same desires, but because they were different, they were misunderstood and mislabeled. This one idea of working to evaluate what life is all about eclipses almost every person. The search for, who we are, our creator, why we are here, finds roots in every person. Metamorphosis and Prince, by Franz Kafka and John Locke
Many centuries ago, people started thinking about the question “Who we are, where did we come from, and where are we going?” While seeking for the answers, many standpoints developed. Everyone has an opinion; when confronted with life’s decisions, even on what not to do and how to best stay away from regret. Then, another question was raised: can the individual ever be higher than the universal? Lead by the famous philosopher John Stuart Mill, many people believe that all are born selfish hedonists and get shaped by the culture and environment and eventually live for the society.
An example that shows that humans cannot distinguish right from wrong is when they were running in the winter so that the Russians would not find them. Everyone was very tired, and when they finally took a break, Elie dropped to the ground. Others piled on and the one on the bottom was Juliek. Elie was the only one who tried to move but he did not succeed. Just before his death, Juliek “play[ed] a fragment of a Beethoven concerto” (95). This showed Juliek’s innocence and soft heart. The others knew that there was somebody on the bottom, but were too fatigued to move and silently let Juliek die. They felt that they were right because they were just trying to in order for them to survive and recover from their suffering. However, they didn’t know or care that someone died because of their actions.
There are five main theories groups in the field of human development. In each of those main theory groups are many theories from several theorists, all which contribute valuable information about human development and behavior. Some theories will prove to be very useful in certain career fields, while others may not be relevant. However, at least one of theories will help me, help someone else, that may be struggling or in need of support and guidance during a difficult time.
What makes an act moral? The reality is that there is no right answer. Different experiences and cultures an individual would identify with will naturally dictate the moral reasoning he/she would act upon. However, certain situations can only be regarded as either moral or immoral. This is shown primarily through the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. He argued that acts such as killing or lying are never justified and one must uphold that in order to be a moral individual. When Dr. Kevorkian decided to assist his patients in committing suicide he was ultimately responsible for the murder of 130 patients. Not only did he commit acts that are morally wrong, but also contradicted his oath as a physician. In this incident, there was no exception or
Individuality is not a quality to be leashed. Our ideas and characteristics are not meant to be uniform. In our modern society, being different is supported. We are encouraged to explore possibilities, test our limitations, and discover to attain new knowledge about the surrounding world. Goals and dreams are ours to create and fulfill. The path of our lives is left to our own will; we decide its course and the companions for our journey. Our freedom of choice is an unappreciated privilege.
One critical factor in the experience that effect human behavior is culture. The way people develop is shaped by cultural experience within the context of inherited genetic potential. Every individual is born in a family, community, social class or religion and eventually develops various connections as a result of such set up. An example is how a child learns to develop from childhood is characterized by how he or she is instructed, the rewards given to her or him. Since every culture consists of societal roles, rules and different norms, each individual is shaped to grow in this
in the way we talk and act, and what we believe is right and wrong.
the way in which we come to find out what actions are right and which
It is morally permissible to do an illegal act if the action is morally right and good. An action could be morally right and illegal at the same time, when it represents the lesser of two evils, or when the intentions of the person performing it are noble and have for goal to achieve his duty. An action can be morally right, but still illegal because in a situation where there is no good option, the lesser of two evils is the morally best option to do, even if it is illegal (Thomson 39). For example, in Dallas Buyers Club, Ron Woodroof acted rightly by choosing the lesser of two evils: sell illegal drugs to help AIDS patients feel better and live longer, instead of letting them suffer and die (Dallas Buyers Club). If he would have chosen to obey the law, a great number of AIDS patient would have suffered more and died of their illness, and he would have been guilty of not helping them according to the Harming by Omission Thesis (HOT) and the Equivalence of Evil Thesis (EET) (Mieth 17). These thesis affirm that omitting to help someone in need would be as bad as hurting the person directly. Thus, Woodroof acted in a morally permissible way even if he broke the law because he chose the lesser of two evils (Matheny 16). Also, someone can act justly e...
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.
Two controversial theories that support the moral concept of right and wrong are ethical subjectivism and cultural relativism. As define ethical subjectivism deals with the subjects attitudes and proposition of what is true. In short it’s their feelings about their behavior. When placed in a situation the afterthought of “was that right, I’m glad I do it” or the opposite, “that was wrong, I shouldn’t have done it” is eliminated, as these are not thought but is a reflection upon their thoughts but of their rational behavior and for this reason third parties denunciation is rejected. This makes room for one to argue that they are acting in moral perspective, as it’s clear in black and white as to why the act of stealing the bread was don...
What we are what we hope or aspire to become is our personality It pervades every aspect of human life influences our behaviour It is said to be the mirror of one's total behaviour It is the total expressed in terms of behavour expriences manners attiudes values beliefs ambitions aspirations interests temperament and traits