The story line circling around the planned murder drove the thoughts of Dr. Glas; however, the way the inner life of Glas is rendered, the descriptions of the weather and the nature, his thoughts, emotions and dreams seem influenced by depth psychology. Glas faces the challenge whether to follow situations in a moral or ethical manner. The brain functions as a power house, a center for thinking. The perspective of social norms changesed. It is up to the individual to follow the norms of society. Each individual have their own perspective on the definition of “right” and “wrong.” Sonderberg portrays religion as the driving force of morals - that religion controls the actions of everyday life. Certain situations arises that may follow up to actions that are classified as “immoral” by religion but may be deemed justified by the individual. The defining rules of moral and righteousness is not set by religion but rather set by each individual. In this paper, Glas initially feels obligated to follow religious ethics but began to follow the proper social morals .
Glas is portrayed as a follower of God. Early in the book, Glas speaks aboutof his duty as a physician who(?)to preserves life. A number of his women patients have requested abortions, but Glas has always refused
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Gregorius is posed as an important figure to the town. Rev. Gregorius symbolizes an authority of the church. Sonderberg opens the book with Dr. Glas describing his hatred for Rev. Gregorius. “By pressing a button in the wall, I could kill the clergyman, I do believe I should do it” (15). Throughout the book, Glas expresses his sincere hatred towards Rev. Gregorius. Hating Rev. Gregorius symbolizes Glas’s despise for the church, more specifically for religion. When Glas kills Rev. Gregorius, Glas is removing his connection from religion. Glas’s went through three cycles: first, being a follower of religious ethics, second, rebelling against “God’s duty”, and third, removing religion from his
On The Genealogy of Morals, Essay I refers to the second stage of human morality—the emergence of the concepts of "Good" and "Evil" as categories o...
Many people have different views on the moral subject of good and evil or human nature. It is the contention of this paper that humans are born neutral, and if we are raised to be good, we will mature into good human beings. Once the element of evil is introduced into our minds, through socialization and the media, we then have the potential to do bad things. As a person grows up, they are ideally taught to be good and to do good things, but it is possible that the concept of evil can be presented to us. When this happens, we subconsciously choose whether or not to accept this evil. This where the theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke become interesting as both men differed in the way they believed human nature to be. Hobbes and Locke both picture a different scene when they express human nature.
Aristotle’s psychological types, as described in “Nichomachean Ethics,” are a categorization of different internal moral characters. These categories are a comprehensive attempt - for ancient philosophy - at identifying which internal psychologies manifest virtuous or morally bad behaviour. His moral categories are somewhat obsolete in a post-modern world, where science and politics are far more developed than in Ancient Greece. However, moral psychological ethics and normative debate still holds a relevant position in the moral undercurrent of society – it is dispersed through legal, political, military and medical activity, in relationships and familial function. It is for this reason, that Immanuel Kant examined a similar issue in “Pure Practical Reason and the Moral Law,” and that it still makes for interesting philosophical discussion.
... indifference and loss of love finally kills him. Gregor is our heart-breaking narrator of the story whose never-ending tenderness and love makes you ache to hold on to your own sense of human decency and moral characteristics and cling to the purity in life.
In Western society and culture, religion and morality have often intertwined and they have reflected their values onto each other. Today it is sometimes impossible to make a distinction between the two, since their influence has transcended generations. In modern Western culture, religion and society preach conformity. In order to be a “good” person, one must conform to the values imposed by the church1 and state.
There is a significant difference between government and religious morals even though both are ethical authorities. These two moral authorities conflict with one another while both are to help people make sou...
According to philosophers, there are four types of law that guide morality and behavior for humans. Eternal, divine, natural and civil laws all contribute to the quality of life for mankind, but these laws often get confused with each other. This paper will examine two instances of a clash between the civil laws of government and divine laws of religious conviction.
In today’s world, we all have different views of how we observe and see the world. Some people perceive the world through the philosophical eye, and others see the world through their faith and religious positions. The topics that will be discussed in this paper will be an explanation of my epistemological stance and where my roots originated, an exposition of my view and the textbooks view on reality and freedom, a discussion on where God is placed in my world and life, an account on how I make acceptable and appropriate ethical choices, an investigation on my greatest influencers in my life, an expository on how I observe life and my purpose in life, and an overview on how this class has assisted me in life. The basis for this paper is to
Human nature is a conglomerate perception which is the dominant liable expressed in the short story of “A Tell-Tale Heart”. Directly related, Edgar Allan Poe displays the ramifications of guilt and how it can consume oneself, as well as disclosing the nature of human defense mechanisms, all the while continuing on with displaying the labyrinth of passion and fears of humans which make a blind appearance throughout the story. A guilty conscience of one’s self is a pertinent facet of human nature that Edgar Allan Poe continually stresses throughout the story. The emotion that causes a person to choose right from wrong, good over bad is guilt, which consequently is one of the most ethically moral and methodically powerful emotion known to human nature. Throughout the story, Edgar Allan Poe displays the narrator to be rather complacent and pompous, however, the narrator establishes what one could define as apprehension and remorse after committing murder of an innocent man. It is to believe that the narrator will never confess but as his heightened senses blur the lines between real and ...
Philosophical musings on the nature of morality are often expressed by thinkers who focus on human nature. Among the factors which determine human behaviour, a moral analysis of the concepts of right and wrong is often prominent. In investigating human behaviour through the relationship between reflection and action, this morality is often observed. Therefore, in the course currently entitled Human Sciences 101: Reflection and Action, both phiolosophy and morality are key themes. However, the calendar description for the course is as follows, “What is the relationship between thinking and action? Do they pull us in different directions? Can they be integrated? This course investigates how our own dialogue with core texts, from antiquity (e.g., Homer, Plato, Christian Scriptures) to the present (e.g., Joyce, Arendt), offers ways of understanding the dilemmas and issues raised by these texts and present in our culture” (Waterloo 2013). The description lacks a mention of the philosophical concepts of morality within the course's content. One of the core texts of the course where morality can be seen is Saint Augustine's Confessions, where Augustine explores a theological philosophy. The theme of morality is also seen in René Descartes' Discourse on Method and Related Writings, where Descartes proposes a scientific moral philosophy. Hannah Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem also explores morality through a philosophical examination of the relationship between thinking and committing evil. Therefore, the writings of Augustine, Descartes and Arendt each exhibit a philosophical perspective on morality which can be tied to the course's central theme of reflection and action. [END OF INTRODUCTION]
Many of our inner standards take the form of judgments as to what is right and what is wrong. They constitute the moral and ethical principles by which we guide our conduct. Lawrence Kohlberg refined, extended, and revised Piaget’s basic theory of the development of moral values. Like Piaget, Kohlberg focused on the moral judgements in children rather than their actions. The manner in which moral judgments develop has been studied extensively by Kohlberg, through the questioning of boys seven years old and up. Kohlberg presented his subjects with a number of hypothetical situations involving moral question like the following. If a man’s wife is dying for lack of an expensive drug that he cannot afford, should he steal the drug? If a patient who is fatally ill and in great pain begs for a mercy killing, should the physician agree? By analyzing the answers and particularly the reasoning by which his subjects reached their answers. Kohlberg determined th...
Friedrich Nietzsche has probably been one of the most criticized and controversial philosophers of modern times. His philosophy and ideas offended many, as much as it attracted others for over a century after his death. Most of his work was done under ill conditions that included headaches, depression and loneliness throughout the years he lived. His philosophical ideas included, firstly, that God was death. Secondly, the concept of an “Overman”. Thirdly, the idea of master morality. Friedrich’s arguments have influenced on how different individuals see today’s concept of religion, morals and achievement of power.
Kierkegaard, a highly regarded philosopher of the 19th century, put to us the idea of living life in three different stages. He named these stages the Aesthetical, the Ethical and the Religious. He himself passed through each of the stages in his own lifetime and he adopted them as his own philosophy of human existence. The first two stages are characterized by a distinct set of beliefs and behaviors that are easily identified, whereas the last stage, the religious is characterized by a highly personal, subjective and non-rational ‘’leap of faith’’. The ideal is to progress from the aesthetical to the ethical, finally reaching the religious stage but as Kierkegaard himself realized, it is possible to regress or go back a stage. He said that he felt that he had never really left the first two, these stages were always there. He believed that one can move in and out and through all three stages within a lifetime. For the purpose of this essay I will explain each of the three stages in order to give an understanding of Kierkegaard’s philosophical theory of life. Also I will discuss why Kierkegaard considered the religious stage as the best kind of life for humanity and I will present to you some criticisms against Kierkegaard’s third stage.
The debate as to the interconnected relationship between God and morality is one that has been long contested by varying philosophers, authors, and other great thinkers. In doing so, countless of these individuals have found numerous ways of depicting this relationship, through the use of differing texts, films, books, or other informative actions. Specifically so, the film Crimes and Misdemeanors, provides insight into this relation between God and morality, and whether ethical understanding and foundations play a role in society. Focusing on the social backdrops of society, director Woody Allen is able to provide insight into the issues that are plaguing daily life, and as a result brings forth the aforementioned argument arisen between God
When considering morality, worthy to note first is that similar to Christian ethics, morality also embodies a specifically Christian distinction. Studying a master theologian such as St. Thomas Aquinas and gathering modern perspectives from James Keenan, S. J. and David Cloutier serve to build a foundation of the high goal of Christian morality. Morality is a primary goal of the faith community, because it is the vehicle for reaching human fulfillment and happiness. Therefore, great value can be placed on foundations of Christian morality such as the breakdown of law from Aquinas, the cultivation of virtues, the role of conscience in achieving morality, and the subject of sin described by Keenan.