Exploring Morality: Reflections from a Philosophy Class

In order to become a well rounded individual you must be aware of the moral problems in society and be able to evaluate them. Respectively, this class has allowed me to do so, through readings and videos, providing my own insight on many moral issues. This class has shown me there are many different interpretations to right and wrong, and hard evidence must be agued to be persuasive. Throughout the course of this class we looked into multiple philosophers such as Kant, Aristotle, and Sandel, a professor at Harvard.

The Theory I found most difficult due to the ability to read and understand the literature was Kant’s, Groundwork to a Metaphysics of Morals. In this piece of literature I didn’t realize Kant is criticizing the human inability to use reason to find happiness. He thinks humans are very poor

Kant’s moral law revolves around the individual making decisions out of morality not self-interest, with no environmental factors taken into consideration. The golden rule “do unto others as you have done unto you” is a modern approach on Kant’s idea. It focuses on the individuals reasoning for doing the right thing but incorporates environmental factors. In society today, we do not focus solely on ones-self; making decisions for the good of others is impossible due to religion or family impacting daily decisions. As a nursing student we use a holistic approach in caring for our patients. This looks at the individual and their environmental factors in creating a plan of care while providing the best care. This topic opened my eyes to how society has changed today compared to when Kant was a philosopher. He states, “a good will is not good because of what it affects or accomplishes, it’s good in itself (14:30).” Today we focus so much on the consequences of every action, whether or not it will benefit us, and never make decisions just because it is