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Ethical decision making and moral judgments
Self reflection in psychology
Importance of critical thinking
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“Everyone should try to make themselves more empathetic, sympathetic, compassionate, loving, and caring and less indifferent, hostile and prejudice”, (Williams, C. & Arrigo, B., 2008). Ethics of care teaches professionals to cultivate the appropriate feelings and emotions. Today people are brusque, short, rushed and irritated on a daily basis because of time. They should instead take a step back and think of how others would feel or take the conversation and plan the appropriate approach. This is what makes me strive to be a critical thinker through retaining information and beliefs that are generated by skills and to have a habit of intellectual commitment to guide my behavior. Can human beings use reasoned thinking to gain knowledge and understanding about reality? Effective reasoning and critical thinking requires the use of knowledge, skills, and tools necessary for critical reflection as well as analyze and work through ethical dilemmas. Effective reasoning is a form of moral reasoning which will aid me in recognizing moral considerations and cope with conflicts. Reasoning is responsibly conducted thinking that will guide my assessments and rationality in order to attempt a well-supported/well-defined question/answer. Reasoning is absolute and yields clarity. Critical thinking leads to an examined life which is when a human being reflects on their own life and strives to change wrong behaviors. An examined life requires us to maintain a healthy degree of skepticism, keep an open mind, step back to see what is in front of us, and see beyond categories, labels, stereotypes, and other performed ways of sorting. An unexamined life is not worth living if you are closed minded and cannot see beyond people’s face value. ... ... middle of paper ... ...h of these concepts lead to the Golden rule ‘whatever a human being wishes to have done to them, do so to the other human being’. All human beings should exercise excellence, avoid negative emotions, and express a virtuous character. Aristotle’s goal of human life is to live a happy existence. Aristotle’s most important virtues belong to the moral character of the person. Virtue relates to the golden mean through having a middle ground/road between two extremes of deficiency and excess. Virtue relates to wisdom through having the knowledge to make the right decision and act accordingly. Thinking about what to do is practical and relates to how to choose and do what an intelligent and reasonable human being can in order to achieve goods in one’s life including the lives of other human beings, as well as maintain a good character and live life to the fullest.
In Aristotle 's Nicomachean Ethics, the basic idea of virtue ethics is established. The most important points are that every action and decision that humans make is aimed at achieving the good or as Aristotle 's writes, “Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and choice, is thought to aim at the good... (Aristotle 1094a). Aristotle further explains that this good aimed for is happiness.
Aristotle tries to draw a general understanding of the human good, exploring the causes of human actions, trying to identify the most common ultimate purpose of human actions. Indeed, Aristotelian’s ethics, also investigates through the psychological and the spiritual realms of human beings.
Aristotle develops his virtue ethics by first considering ends and goods. He claims that “every action and decision, seems to seek some good” (Shafer-Landau 2013, 615). Aristotle states that we pursue certain things because of the benefits it brings itself and other consequences it may bring. Aristotle suggests that this is the same for goodness. We must pursue what is good for good itself and for any other benefits it may bring. Furthermore, Aristotle suggests that through pursuing the good, we are able to determine the best way of life (Shafer-Landau 2013, 615).
In Book II, Aristotle makes a distinction between two types of virtues; those which are considered ethical and those which are considered intellectual. Ethical virtues deal with actions of courage, generosity, and moderation. Intellectual virtues deal with wisdom and contemplation. Ethical virtues are created through habitual actions. Aristotle says that humans are not born with a natural capacity for virtue. He believes that education and cultivation as youth by one’s parents are pivotal in setting up humans’ ability in making virtuous acts habitual. He feels that humans have to perform virtuous actions as much as possible and through this humans can make a step in becoming virtuous. Aristotle also states that ethical virtues have to be attended by pleasure. He believes that humans cannot be pained when committing a virtuous action. If a human is pained by an action then it is not considered virtuous.
The author Vincent Ruggiero defines critical thinking in his book Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking, as a “search for answers, a quest.” It is the idea that one does not accept claims, ideas, and arguments blindly, but questions and researches these things before making a decision on them. From what I learned in class, critical thinking is the concept of accepting that there are other people and cultures in this world that may have different opinions. It is being able to react rationally to these different opinions.
Aristotle insisted that we exhibit virtue in line with our reason. To him squandering our talents and casting aside a virtuous lifestyle surely will not lead to a happy life. As humans we were given the gift of reason and one’s wellbeing is the attainment of arête through
...Aristotle’s conclusion relates human good, activity of soul and excellence. It is this expression of virtue through action that allows happiness to be obtained. Such dependence on virtue sets the scene for Aristotle to examine virtue more closely. He will elaborate on the two parts of reasoning well (virtue). The first part of reasoning well is having the right desires to aim oneself at the right good and not just the apparent good. The second part of reasoning well is knowing how to get to this proper desire. This will be further elaborated in book two where Aristotle will explore what it means to reason well and what is means to be virtuous.
...ve as possible. To enlighten them with knowledge so that they can understand and become leaders. With knowledge one can look toward the right desires and the good versus being ignorant to everything and turn toward the unjust. Knowledge is power whether it’s leaving a cave to learn about life, furthering your education or just learning something new. Knowledge is everything. Intellectual virtues are what help us come to good choices and the choices that benefit us and mankind the right way. The five intellectual virtues all have their role to play, and each parallels to a one of the parts of the soul. Our lives are constructed by our intellectual virtues when you think of them in the aspect that Aristotle brings them out. We either can build ourselves to happiness using the intellectual virtues the ethical way or we can ruin our lives by using them the immoral way.
Chris had just been promoted as an Executive Assistant for Pat the CEO, Chief Executive Officer, of Faith Community Hospital. Pat had given Chris her very first assignment on her first day of work as an executive assistant and that was to gather information so that Pat can present the issues to the board of directors. Faith Hospital is faced with issues that needed attention and the board of directors must be notified of the issues so that a solution can be remedy to help the hospital stay in business.
Interest is sparked in this area that Aristotle writes of because there is a natural need for Ethics in human life. John K. Roth states, “Aristotle assumes that all things, human beings included, have a good, a purpose or end, which it is their nature to fulfill”. This helps one understand Aristotle’s way of thinking, and provides insight to the basis of his theories. A common theory explored by Aristotle is the Ethics of Virtues, and how to practice them. A theory included in Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics is the unity of all the virtues, and in order to be virtuous, one must exhibit all the virtues. One of these virtues being practical wisdom, or Phronesis.
While the semester is over and the deadline has expired, I thought I would write this to express my true intended thoughts.
times. Then the sand was sunk. Aristotle was a great believer in virtues and the meaning of virtue to him meant being able to fulfil one's functions. Virtue ethics is not so much interested in the question, "What should I do?" but rather the question 'what sort of person should I become?'
Critical thinking is a process of applying various skills to analyze information. Critical thinking uses rationality to distinguish between emotion and fact. This paper will discuss the definition of critical thinking, and the skills it takes to think critically. It will also provide an example of critical thinking applied to my current working environment. Finally this paper will discuss the importance and benefits of critical thinking in the decision-making processes.
Aristotle claims that the ultimate human good comes from not only by being a good person but practicing good acts to gain happiness and live to flourish in our lives. According to Aristotle, virtues are characteristics that allow a person to live well in communities. He argues that both social institutions and good character are needed to achieve well-being (Pojman, 2009). These virtues are reinforced by practice and by these social institutions. The institutions are there to help us to become the best person we can be.
Knowledge is generated through critical and creative thinking. Creative thinking is something new or original that is created with value. Critical thinking is a type of thinking that questions assumptions and validates or invalidates a current belief or something that is said to be previously true. Knowledge is created through the culmination of generally accepted assumptions and creativity. How do you separate general assumptions and creativity? These two types of thinking can be easily separated in regards to concrete or realistic ideas compared to abstract or original ideas however to generate new, acceptable knowledge critical and creative thinking must interact together. The questioning of established beliefs with the creation of unorthodox new ideas will expose the most beneficial knowledge for the world.