According to your reading, what is the study of ethics all about? Reflect on why do you think (outside
of a G.E.) one should take this class?
According the reading, the study of ethics is necessary in order to give individuals a clearer understanding of human
morality. By studying ethics, one attempts to answer the multitude of questions that arise when dealing with what's
"right" and "wrong". Why do humans act the way they do? Is it to be nice to other people? Why is it "wrong"
to kill another human? What if someone asks you to kill them; do you hold by your obligation to be loyal to
friends in need or your obligation to refrain from murdering? After all, everyone has a right to live. But what
exactly is a "right"?
Many moral questions that come up throughout our ordinary lives have a number of different answers. Likewise,
there are a number of different ways to answer these questions. According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, one
can use either metaethics, normative ethics or applied ethics in studying ethics and morality. Metaethics
is like a way of studying ethics from an outsider's viewpoint. A metaethical approach focuses on seeing things
from different perspectives in order to get a better idea of where common morality comes from and the different forms
morality takes. For example, people act selfishly at times and altruistically at other times.
How are we supposed to know when to act in our own interest or in the interest of others?
Normative ethics is an attempt to find a universal answer to the questions of morality and turn it into a single guideline
for every person (regardless of where or when that person is living). In essence, normative ethical studies strive to
create a "Golden Rule", such as "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". This includes applying rules
to everyone and suggesting that humans have moral duties that must be fulfilled. An example of a rule is that one shall
not murder. An example of a duty is to help those in need.
Applied ethics focuses on a narrowed down topic of morality, such as abortion or animal rights. Normative
ethics can be used along with applied ethics in studying a particular topic and finding a universal solution for it.
In order for a topic to be studied under applied ethics, it must be controversial (by having two strong groups of representatives
for and against the topic) and it must regard an issue that applies to humanity as a whole, not just one particular society.
Just as there are various methods in studying ethics, there are various types of ethical investigators. In Great
Traditions in Ethics, social scientists, casuists, moralists and ethical theorists are explained. Social scientists
focus on studying human behavior. Casuists focus more on moral institutions such as religon and law. Moralists
are comparable to normative ethics in trying to apply a single set of morals to humanity as a whole. Ethical theorists
focus more on questioning and examining moral principles.
It is important for one to take an ethics class because moral and ethical standards are present in every human society.
Whether these standards are written in stone or are questioned varies from society to society. In general, I think people
need to be as informed as possible in battling moral issues. For example, people need to be aware of the rules
in their society so that they do not do anything illegal, or so that if they do, they know enough to argue their reasons for
acting as they did. On a smaller note, American societies are growing increasingly concerned with ethical issues.
Should we clone human beings? Should we allow abortions? If we do allow abortions, during which trimester is it
still acceptable? Should an atheist have to say "One Nation Under God" in our Pledge of Allegiance?
The number of ethical issues is rising and it is definitely helpful to be educated when debating such issues. By
knowing more about how to study ethics, one can even make an easier and wiser decision as to what one stands for.
Studying ethics will expand one's mind to ideas that hadn't been brought up before. By learning what other people think,
one can function more easily in society while learning about oneself as well.
Lastly, I think it is important to take an ethics class because moral and ethical decisions effect so many people.
A single ethical decision could effect one person or an entire country. Furthermore, the study of ethics is something
that is universal and is important regardless of who or where you are. If nothing else, one should take an
ethics class because, as Socrates so greatly stated, "the unexamined life is not worth living".
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Write a mini-essay on what would make you HAPPY in this life. Be
honest with yourself and don't think that you are writing it for a class. List what you really want and desire in order
to be happy. Remember this is purely subjective and thus is dependent upon YOU. After writing 4 or 5 paragraphs
(or one page) on what YOU think will make you happy, now write a one page CRITIQUE of your views from ARISTOTLE'S PERSPECTIVE.
Be sure to substantiate your critique.
What would make me happy? Well, this question is certainly not answered easily, though it seems
that I ask myself the same thing every day. There are so many things that I would need collectively to be happy in this
life. First off, I would need everything to be the same as it is right now; I would only need to improve upon it.
Here is a list of what would need to remain the same:
1. my family
2. my closest friends
3. my wealth
4. my talent
5. the way I see and react to the world
In assuming the aforementioned requirements are met, I will continue by saying what it is I would improve
upon. I would need a committed relationship with someone whom I honestly and truly could not live without. Relationships
are extremely important to me and the one thing that I do not have right now that I need in order to be happy is a partner.
We don't necessarily have to be married, but just in an intimate relationship.
Secondly, I would need an outlet for creativity. One of the biggest fears I have in life is that
my talent will go to waste. In order to be happy, I would need to be able to make music, paint, design, shop, dance,
sing, write and read whenever I want. Although, as I was writing that last sentence, I realized that it is not only
the act of doing these things that makes me happy, but the reaction I get from other people. In order for me to truly
be happy, I would have to be acknowledged for my work. I would want people to love the products I put out, but
offer constructive criticism as well.
I suppose one thing that I would love to see disappear is the act of violence out of ignorance and provincial
thinking. When innocent people suffer at the hands of another person (whether dying at war or having one's purse
stolen), I get sick to my stomach. If this type of injustice would stop, I would be happy. In other words, I would
appreciate peace on Earth!
I've been sitting here trying to think of what else would make me happy and the truth is I really
am happy already. In reaching the conclusion that I am happy the way I am, I can only make minor suggestions as to what
would make me happy besides the things I mentioned above. I would be happy if I could eat whatever I wanted and not
be affected in my health. I would be happy if I could do everything I wanted without things conflicting (school has
constantly conflicted with my career). I would be happy if there was some sort of teleportation so that I would not
have to drive in traffic or for hours at a time. I would be happy if I could live a full life without injury or pain.
If these small changes could be made on top of what I already have, I would undoubtedly and forever be happy.
If Aristotle were to critique of my views on happiness, he would most likely focus on the element
of contemplation. According to the text, Aristotle believed, "happiness is activity in accordance with virtue".
He also believes that the highest activity we can engage in is contemplation, therefore the ultimate happiness is contemplation.
In regards to my views on happiness, then, Aristotle would critique them in assumption that they will not bring
me ultimate happiness since I did not include contemplation or reason. However, if I were to engage in activities such
as dancing or painting in accordance with virtue (meaning to their greatest potentials and with moral respects), I would find
pleasure and happiness in these as well.
My downfall in this, of course, is that I would not be dancing or painting merely for the joy of dancing
or painting. I stated that I would also need to be praised for my work in order to be happy. The fact that I would
be bitter if I did not feel I received proper acknowledgment for my work would mean that I am engaging in these activities
as means to an end. The end I am striving for is a stroke of the ego and reverence. Aristotle discourages the
human tendency to choose activities based on reaching an end. As a result, he would criticize my choice to dance or
paint in anticipation of receiving praise.
From: "squaww03" <squaww03@y...>
Date: Thu May 6, 2004 11:32 am
Subject: Wicca
On Wednesday, May 5th, I went to listen to a lecture on Wicca, which
is a religion similar to paganism. The speaker, Garret, talked for
about an hour and touched upon the history, ethics, morality,
philosophy, practicing, holidays, rituals and misconceptions of Wicca.
He started off by making it clear that Wiccans are NOT worshippers of
Satan (or Lucifer, the Devil, etc.). Wicca is a nature based
religion; everything revolves around the divinity of nature and every
single thing that exists (including inanimate objects). Wicca is both
polytheistic and pantheistic. The way this works is that Wiccans
believe that every single thing in the universe is divine, yet all of
these things intersect to form one utlimate divinity. The names of
their highest deities are the Mother God and the Horned Goddess. The
ultimate binding of everything's energy is called the Great Web of
Being. An example of how energies connect to for deities is that a
forrest has many separate energies in the trees, birds, rocks and so
forth that all intersect to form one aggregate forrest god. All of
the forrest gods, city gods, beach gods, etc. of the universe
intersect ultimately to form the Great Web of Being.
A little bit of history was discussed next. In 2001, an estimated 3
million people were pagans and about 1 million of these are in the
U.S. These numbers are not set in stone, obviously, but one sure
thing is that the numbers have grown rapidly. In about 7000 BCE,
paganism really began to spring up in Old Europe (places like Austria
and Italy). Wiccans do not claim to be the oldest or most correct
religion. There was a dark period in which many pagans were burned at
the stake and hung, but a resurgance began again in the 1900's and
paganism is still on the rise.
Since the start of paganism, there has been no set text or rule for
morality. There is no holy book, for Wiccans believe they can learn
just about anything from the world around them. Some people might
read an older generation's Book of Shadows (which is like a religious
diary) to learn from the past, but there is no set text.
Consequently, there is no set commandment or code of conduct that
would be presented in a text regarding morality. Wiccans believe that
morality is important, but it is up to the individual to learn what is
right and wrong and in what situations each is appropriate. One major
thing with Wiccans, however, is that they never lie. Garrett
explained that one of the harshest insults to a pagan used to be to
call them an "oath breaker". Also, pagans do not have any rules set
aside about things like sex. They believe sex should be revered,
though responsibly, and that it is not something that should be
avoided until marriage, as some religions believe. Thus, paganism is
very relaxed in its avoidance of rules and restriction. Pagans
basically learn things for themselves.
A couple beliefs that Wiccans have are reincarnation and karma. They
beileve that our souls are reincarnated in different lives, following
a cycle much like Earth's cycle of day and night and the four seasons.
THey also believe that there is a rest period between being
reincarnated in which the soul reflects on teh past life and prepares
for the next one. In regards to karma, Wiccans beleive whatever
energy you put out comes back to you. One important Wiccan belief is
that the world is not something that we are "stuck" in. Instead, the
world is something we can learn from. The Wiccan goal to life is the
realize and embrace teh connection we all have to the divine.
Furthermore, it is more important that one reaches this state of what
other religions might call "enlightenment", than what path you take in
getting there.
Part of the reason people might think Wiccans are a bit strange might
be because of their use of magic. Garret showed us a wand he uses to
aid him in his magic. A major part of Wiccan belief is that there are
projective (male) and receptive (female) energies and gods in the
world. Everything is about balance, and this projective and receptive
model is very important to Wiccans. In using something like a wand,
Garret explained how useful this concept is. The wand was made out of
oak, which is considered very receptive because it attracts
lightening. It had a gold band at the front (which is considered
projective) and silver at the back (which is receptive). Thus, the
user of the wand would draw in the energies of the world around him
through teh wand, harness that energy within his or her own energy,
put a thought to it (this is the most important step), and then
release the new formed energy back out through the wand into the
world. Other aids, such as the wand, include the blade/sword,
cauldron, or shield. Garrett said that magic us usually used for
healing purposes. He also pointed out that all religions acknowledge
that magic exists, but what makes Wiccans different is that they do
not view it as evil. Wiccans instead use magic as a vehicle towards
reaching full human potential.
Wiccnas have no set creation myths. One example of the many
suggestions from the beginning of paganism is that there was a big
flash of light when all of the elements came together. Pagans
recognize five elements: water, earth, fire, air and spirit. One of
the symbols for magic is a five pointed star within a circle. Each
point on the star represents an element; the lines that form the star
represent the connection of all of the elements.
Wiccans also have holidays, though they are centered around nature.
Wiccan holidays include the first day and middle day of the four
seasons. They celebrate Halloween, which represents the middle of
fall or the day of dead, and Beltane (spelling?), which represents the
middle of spring or the day of life. These seasons also serve as
their metting times, when they congregate to give thanks and
akcnowledge the energy around them.
I found the lecture rather intriguing. I could appreciate the
reverance for nature that Wiccans have and their embrace for freedom
from any rules or restrictions. I also found it interesting that
women are so important to the religion. The deities are women and the
priestess usually has more control than the priest. Abortion is
looked at as the right of a woman and death is not necessarily
considered a bad thing. There were many points of interest that
deviated from common religions and I found them more appealing for
their pragmaticism and freedom. Among these concepts were the freedom
for sex and the encouragement to learn from the world and experience
instead of from a book. I am glad I went to this lecture and I have a
new understanding of paganism.
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