Setting Up A Moral System Essay Example for Free

Setting Up A Moral System Essay The installation of a moral system is vital in every society. Yet, every moral system must deal with the major conflicting general moral issues: Consequentialism versus Non-consequentialism; Self versus Other-Interestedness; Act Utilitarianism versus Rule Utilitarianism; and Emotion versus reason. When all four areas are combined and examined there are conflicting views that must be resolved. First of all, there is the issue of Consequentialism and Non-consequentialism. Consequentialism is best described by utilitarianism, where decisions are based on the consequences of the outcome of the decision made. On the other hand, non-consequentialism is best described as an ethical theory that is based not on the consequences of the action, but on some higher moral standard that is placed upon them. Examples of non-consequentialism are Kants Duty Ethics and Divine Command Theory. The conflict between the two is whether to do what is best according to the outcome or follow what one feels as the higher moral standard would require them to adhere to. Personally, I would resolve this area by choosing the consequentialist belief as my tool for judgement because I feel that people need to think about the consequences of their actions because if they dont then it will cause havoc in the society. Thus, I feel that consequentialism is the proper solution in this area. Secondly, there is the conflict between Self versus Other-Interestedness. The concept of self is best described as being selfish and only caring about oneself without worrying about what might happen to others. While the concept of other-interestedness is basically putting the needs of everyone else over your own (this is similar to utilitarianism). The big conflict is that most people are going to choose themselves first, but if this were a perfect society the people would worry about everyone first. If people would think about it, then they figure it out that they are included in everyone. Therefore, in this area I would solve the problem by choosing the theory of other-interestedness. Next, there is the issue of the act utilitarianism versus the rule utilitarianism. The act approach to utilitarianism is that a person should perform acts that will bring about the greatest good for the greatest number. On the other hand, the rule approach to utilitarianism is that people establish and follow rules which will bring about the greatest good for the greatest number. The major conflicting moral issue is whether or not there is freedom involved in the decision making process. Act utilitarianism gives unlimited freedom, while rule utilitarianism gives virtually no freedom, but rule utilitarianism gives structure and stability to the society. The best way to solve this area would be to have rule utilitarianism and act utilitarianism combined so that you have rules to give some structure to society but have the ability for the people to be allowed to express their individual freedoms in the society. Thus, I feel that a combination of the two is the best way solve this area of the moral system. Finally, there is the issue between reason and emotion. Reason is described as thinking about what the outcome of the decision would be, then making the decision. The theory of emotion is reacting to ones emotions without thinking about the possible outcome of the situation. In this situation one has to side with reason because if not the society would have people reacting to their emotions all the time which could chaos and would not fit into a utopian society. All of these four areas combined would help in establish an upright and proper moral system when applied correctly. I feel that the decisions that I made earlier in this essay are the proper ones needed for a good moral system.

Free Essays on The Stranger (The Outsider): Disillusionment :: Camus Stranger Essays

Disillusionment in Camus' The Stranger (The Outsider) In Albert Camus' The Stranger (The Outsider), the protagonist Meursault is clearly disillusioned of life in general. Two examples of this disillusionment occurred in the instances of his mother's death and an offer to be transferred to another work environment. This incomplacency is paramount in discerning this meticulous, selfish Camusian character. In regard to his mother's death, he seemed indifferent at the loss of her life. He was so uninterested in her funeral that he remarked the following: "...I can be there for the vigil and come back tomorrow night" (Camus 3). His mother appeared to slow him down. He claimed he never went to visit her in the nursing home because she enjoyed it too much. Nonetheless, he admitted, in addition, that the visit "took up my Sunday -- not to mention the trouble of getting to the bus, buying tickets, and spending two hours traveling" (Camus 5). To further define his insensitivity, Meursault shed not even one tear in this part of the novel; moreover, he expressed no form of sorrow whatsoever. Likewise, Meursault's attitude and reaction toward an offer to be relocated to a Parisian location was a monumental indicator of his insensitivity. One would expect him to accept or decline the offer graciously and respectfully. Meursault proved, again, to be unpredictable when he states, in regard to his then current life and a possible reincarnation in Paris: "...it (life) was all the same to me" (Camus 41). Caught off-guard by his response, Meursault's boss asked yet another question: was Meursault interested in a change of life? Unmoved, Meursault further retorted that one life was as good as another, and, furthermore, he wasn't dissatisfied with his current status at all. (Notice how he never stated that he was happy with it either.) Meursault's boss blasted him, crying that Meursault never gave him a straight answer and had no ambition; his boss sad both of which were "disastrous" qualities in business (Camus 41).

Area of knowledge Essay

It can certainly be argued that though language and emotion play vital roles within any area of knowledge, it is within history that it manifests itself the clearest. History as an area of knowledge presents an opportunity to explore the implications of both language and emotion, and their effect on interpreting history. The understanding of such information is integral to resolving one of the key knowledge issues regarding history: the question of whether it is possible to attain or communicate knowledge through history that is free from filters and biases. The answer to this question is crucial to the further comprehension of what is history as a whole. But before examining language and emotion in the context of history, it is important to define what exactly these words are describing, and understand the values and limitations of both of these ways of knowing separately. Language is defined as a rule-governed, intended form of communication and is one of the main ways of attaining information of the external. It is useful for conveying concepts that are intangible, such as that of history. However, it is merely a tool, a vehicle by which information can travel, and is subject to ambiguity, vagueness, and bias. Emotion as a way of knowing is often defined as a mechanism which gives intuition and helps decision making, but is also commonly cited as an obstruction to knowledge. These two ways of knowing have a great impact upon the acquisition of knowledge in history. One could argue that without language, there would be no history or historical knowledge. Such a bold statement can be made for a variety of reasons, one being primarily that unlike emotion and sense perception, two others way of knowing, language is the most ‘able’ tool in the transfer of knowledge across time. And unlike reason, language can qualitatively describe as well as outline the experiences of individuals in a way that reason cannot fully emulate. One does not need to be (or rather, cannot be) at the decisive Battle of Iwo Jima to know there was an Allied victory, knowledge that sense perception and emotion could not derive. The utility of language is that it enables us acquire knowledge of the external efficiently. This is not to say that language is the perfect mechanism for knowledge transfer in history. As stated above, language is a tool that, once interpreted, will lead to biases as both the sender and receiver’s paradigm will contribute to a certain predisposition regarding any topic spoken. It allows us to label and generalize, to set up a conceptual framework based on relativity. Arbitrary time frames can be set up within history, such as Before Common Era, which when considered seem quite useful in that it allows for quick citation, but is also perplexing. How exactly did people define the ‘Common Era’? To refer to a date in relation to the death of one man allows us to further question why this particular man was chosen. Again this ties into the bias with language, as anyone referencing BCE is undoubtedly predisposed towards Western thinking. Even I retain these biases as well, always confused momentarily whenever I am exposed to the time frame established in Thai culture, such as 2553 (which is coincidentally also referenced to the death of another man). It appears that although language can and does lead to historical knowledge in methods that other ways of knowing cannot, language can never lead to truly objective information precisely for the same reason that it is useful: it is all relative to the paradigm which one is under. The impact of labeling and generalizations also touches upon the realm of emotion and its effects upon history. The age-old adage proclaims that â€Å"history is written by the victors†1 and the victors will more often than not think positively about themselves but not of their opponents. For example, during my Thai history class, my teacher will go at great lengths to explain the courageous nature of the Thai people and the savagery of the Burmese for invading our land, and yet do a complete about face and call the occupation of Malaysia and Cambodia as a noble conquest. This invocation of pride and patriotism is a variety of emotion known as nationalism. And it is this nationalism, or a similar emotional feeling of loyalty, that has fueled much of current history. If language is the tool with which we talk about history, emotion is what caused us to talk about it in the first place. The statement that is being suggested is that the course of human civilization for the past ten thousand years can be charted with the emotions, on the basis that humans are not perfectly rational. Emotional attachments to kingdoms, countries, or governments caused many to go to war; scientific advances were fueled by the undying joy associated with innovation; Adam Smith proposed capitalism to compensate for the inherent greed within us all. Indeed, a more specific event would be the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001AD. The attack upon the US caused uproar, an escalation of foreign policy security, and a worsening of relations with the Middle East. The many religious motives for such an event leave no doubt that it was based off of emotion, but it remains unclear what the main cause was for. Again, it appears that to mark history as objective facts becomes increasingly hard as the subjective emotions that one has muddle the cause for events. One cannot state that a certain event in history occurred because of another singular event; rather, one must say that it was the amalgamation of these that caused any event. In essence, it appears that emotion and language both play a key role in history, one for it and one about it. However, it seems that these two ways of knowing interact with history in such a way as to make the objective deduction of historical knowledge difficult. Though one can argue that the imposition of conceptual frameworks and the emotionally fuelled decisions are not mutually exclusive with an objective history, it remains that within any human society there will exist a paradigm, a filter, a bias. And in these items will lay prejudice. A quote by Friedrich Nietzche summarizes this: â€Å"To the extent that man has for long ages believed in the concepts and names of things as in aeternae veritates he has appropriated to himself that pride by which he raised himself above the animal: he really thought that in language he possessed knowledge of the world.† We may pride ourselves on being more civilized than animals and for having language, but it is foolish to assume that with only these tools that we have gained any knowledge of the world apart from our own.

Reflection Paper About Jordan - 2008 Words

Charity Oliver Professor Denis Sullivan Middle Eastern Politics June 25, 2017 Final Reflection of Jordan My study abroad in Jordan has exceeded my expectations and challenged my initial thoughts about the region. I have honestly had many moments of culture shock, good and bad, as well as â€Å"a-ha† moments; yet, the biggest one of all was when visiting Nidal’s Bani Essa home and having dinner with his family. It seemed odd to me that a family could be so inviting and caring towards foreigners. That day, I realized that Arab and Muslim people genuinely love their American brothers and sisters despite the hatred they receive from some of us. I have felt very much like a celebrity here and even when at tourists sites people from all parts of the†¦show more content†¦Though I am not of Arab descent, I can honestly say I very much feel a part of the family. Another thing, before coming to Jordan I felt as if I am pretty independent. I grew up in a single parent home therefore it is natural for me to be dependent upon myself to get or accomplish things. Being in Jordan I have fed off of my independence, using it to my advantage. Here I feel as if I have matured more and have gotten one step closer towards full adulthood. In Jordan, I have learned to work with and alongside people from a much different background than I. I have grown more accepting of people that differ from me. I have learned to cope with the differences through experiencing and overcoming the language and culture barrier. I will take back to U.S. skills for dealing with and fighting uncomfortable and difficult situations. As for my confidence, before coming to Amman, I was very uncomfortable with speaking Arabic and even for the first few weeks here, I was still very uncomfortable. I had to learn to use the Arabic words I already know to get my point across. I knew before arriving, I would have problems with speaking the language in the streets because of the differences in dialect. I was very afraid that I was not going to be able to request things, place orders, shop, etc. Though my beliefs about the difficult I would initially experience were confirmed, as time went by, I learned that one does not have to be fluent in the street language to haveShow MoreRelatedWhat Is Personal Branding And How Effective It Can Be For Actors?1120 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Define what your brand stands for, its core values and tone of voice, and then communicate consistently in those terms† (Mainwaring, n.d.). Personal branding is the message you intend to send to others that is a reflection of you, your val ues, and what you stand for. Branding yourself is vital in the business world today considering it can help you with, better opportunity discovery, better networking career advancement, and better success. It can also develop and define you as a leader. 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