Good afternoon,
Currently, you are an audience of personified moral dilemmas. Do you remember the fumes steaming from your muffler when you drove here? That’s your contribution to pollution. Is your make-up cruelty-free? Or did your lipstick violate the senses of a rabbit? Now, did you enjoy your lunch? You paid for your meal, but did you contemplate the fact you may now be supporting child labour? Behind the kitchen doors is the chef exploiting children workers? Questions of ethicality pervade individuals’ daily lives. Hence, frameworks of ethical thinking, pertinent to secular law and Christian perspectives, have been developed to assist the individual in living a life of justice, kindness and equality.
In the fourth century BC, Socrates posed the questioned “what is justice?” to Athenians. Socrates, the “father of western ethics” (Mastin, 2008), then challenged the public’s replies until it was evident their original answer was defective (Waterfield, 2009). The purpose of his persistent questioning was not to disdain the public; Socrates understood that he nor anyone else knew the answer to such questions (Magee, 1998). His objective was to foment discussion of moral philosophy. The first rational moral philosophy was established 58 years subsequent to Socrates death, by fellow Athenian Epicurus (Magee, 1998). Epicurus treated women and slaves with kindness and equality, and emphasized that friendship was the principle producer of pleasure, "Of all things which wisdom supplies to make life entirely happy, by far the greatest is the possession of friendship" (Griffiths, 2005). Accordingly, Epicureanism promotes pleasure-seeking; a rarity in public life due to the ubiquitous fear of religious punishment and the supernatural (Co...
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...ork was fundamental to the ongoing creation of world peace. Lincoln understood the destructive consequences of slavery exceeded any positive consequences. Utilitarianism indicated abolition was the most ethical action, therefore Lincoln initiated the process that fomented the 13th Amendment and the abolition of slavery in all of the United States (Rockler, 2007; Nathanson, 2002).
Like Lincoln, each of you has the ability to live kindly, justly and to support equality. Utilitarian theory persuades you to use cruelty-free make up and public transport, and supports the regulation of workplace protection policies. Therefore, transforming you, the audience, from a complication of moral dilemmas to individuals of ethical substance. Although your application of Utilitarianism may not achieve a political or legal reform, it will assist you in living a good, Christian life.
The value attributed to the first virtue, wisdom, whose essence lay in “the perception of truth and with ingenuity,” concerns the comprehension of the nature of justice (7). In fact, Cicero asserts, within the public sphere, “unless learning is accompanied by the virtue that consists...
Morality derives from the Latin moralitas meaning, “manner, character, or proper behavior.” In light of this translation, the definition invites the question of what composes “proper behavior” and who defines morality through these behaviors, whether that be God, humanity, or an amalgamation of both. Socrates confronted the moral dilemma in his discourses millennia ago, Plato refined his concepts in his Republic, and leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi would commit their life work to defining and applying the term to political reform. Finally, after so many years, Martin Luther King’s “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” reaches a consensus on the definition of morality, one that weighs the concepts of justice and injustice to describe morality as the
Vaughn, Lewis. Doing Ethics: Moral Reasoning and Contemporary Issues 3rd Edition. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. Print.
Primarily, America’s opulence initiated with Lincoln’s determination to preserve and to strengthen the moral cause of the Union, starting off with focusing on abolishing slavery. Initially, his “paramount object in this struggle [was] to save the Union, and [was] not either to save or to destroy slavery.” The institute of slavery was a controversy in America for decades. Although his intentions were never to radically demand immediate freedom for 4 million black slaves, his Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued during his third year fighting the Civil War, finally conveyed the annihilation of slavery. What really caused Lincoln to reverse his original thoughts regarding the emancipation of slaves was a calling for “an act of justice.” He felt that God called upon him to free the slaves, similarly to how Moses felt when God spoke to him through the burning bush to liberate the Jewish slaves in Egypt. Moreover, slavery, the state of an individual having absolute power over another individual’s life and liberty, was finally recognized as an evil concept according to Lincoln. The purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation was not solely on freeing the slaves, bu...
Shafer-Landau, R. (2013) Ethical Theory: An Anthology (Second Edition). West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Throughout this paper I will argue between Mil (Utilitarianism) and Held (Care Ethics). Mil is a British Philosopher well known for his ethical and political work and Held is an American Feminist and Moral Philosopher. After reading this essay you will have a good view on what Utilitarianism and Care Ethics is and also what my concluding position is.
Gakuran, Michael. "Aristotle’s Moral Philosophy | Gakuranman • Adventure First." Gakuranman Adventure First RSS. N.p., 21 May 2008. Web.
Justice. What is justice? In this world where many people look out only for themselves, justice can be considered the happiness of oneself. But because selfish men do not always decide our standards in society, to find a definition, society should look at the opinions of many. Just as in the modern society to which we live, where everyone feels justice has a different meaning, the society of Plato also struggled with the same problem. In this paper, I will look into the Republic, one of the books of Plato that resides heavily on defining an answer to the meaning of Justice, and try to find an absolute definition. I will also give my opinion on what I personally think justice is.
Book 1 of Plato's Republic raises the question what is justice? Four views of justice are examined. The first is that justice is speaking the truth and paying one's debt. The second is that justice is helping one's friends and harming one's enemies. The third view of justice is that it is to the advantage of the stronger. The last view is that injustice is more profitable than justice.
Traditionally justice was regarded as one of the cardinal virtues; to avoid injustices and to deal equitable with both equals and inferiors was seen as what was expected of the good man, but it was not clear how the benefits of justice were to be reaped. Socrates wants to persuade from his audience to adopt a way of estimating the benefits of this virtue. From his perspective, it is the quality of the mind, the psyche organization which enables a person to act virtuously. It is this opposition between the two types of assessment of virtue that is the major theme explored in Socrates’ examination of the various positions towards justice. Thus the role of Book I is to turn the minds from the customary evaluation of justice towards this new vision. Through the discourse between Cephalus, Polemarchus and Thrasymachus, Socaretes’ thoughts and actions towards justice are exemplified. Though their views are different and even opposed, the way all three discourse about justice and power reveal that they assume the relation between the two to be separate. They find it impossible to understand the idea that being just is an exercise of power and that true human power must include the ability to act justly. And that is exactly what Socrates seeks to refute.
Many traditions and values of the American society are beneficial, but some are harmful. Acceptance of utilitarianism will preserve beneficial traditions while replacing the harmful ones. As a result, new traditions, grounded in reason, will emerge, and future generations may wonder how the irrational and unnatural non-utilitarian values had survived for so long.
Mill, J. S., Bentham, J., & Ryan, A. (1987). Utilitarianism and other essays. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books.
Within two classical works of philosophical literature, notions of justice are presented plainly. Plato’s The Republic and Sophocles’ Antigone both address elements of death, tyranny and immorality, morality, and societal roles. These topics are important elements when addressing justice, whether in the societal representation or personal representation.
In its political philosophy utilitarianism provides an alternative to theories of natural law and the social contract by basing the authority of government and the sanctity of individual rights upon their utility, or measure of happiness gained. As an egalitarian doctrine, where everyone’s happiness counts equally, the rational, relatively straightforward nature of utilitarianism offers an attractive model for democratic government. It offers practical methods for deciding the morally right course of action - “...an action is right as it tends to promote happiness, wrong as it tends to diminish it, for the party whose interests are in question” (Bentham, 1780). To discover what we should do in a given situation, we identify the various courses of action that we could take, then determine any foreseeable benefits and harms to all affected by the ramifications of our decision. In fact, some of the early pioneers of utilitarianism, such as Bentham and Mill, campaigned for equality in terms of women's suffrage, decriminalization of homosexuality, and abolition of slavery (Boralevi, 1984). Utilitarianism seems to support democracy as one could interpret governments working to promote the public interest and welfare of citizens as striving for liberty for the greatest amount of people. While utilitarianism at its heart is a theory that calls for progressive social change through peaceful political processes, there are some difficulties in relying on it as the sole method for moral decision-making. In this essay I will assess the effectiveness of utilitarianism as a philosophy of government by examining the arguments against it.
But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” Luke 6:27-28 (Dake’s Annontated Reference Bible). It is important that we remember to not only do the right thing but to treat people in a manner that is respectful and appropriate. It is important that when making decisions that affect other people we should always use critical thinking and never let feelings or emotions have an effect on our decisions. This paper will talk about ethics, and the different ethical theories and how they relate to the Christian worldview.